Jeffco school board narrows pool for superintendent search

The six remaining candidates for the Jeffco Public Schools superintendent job are all sitting superintendents, the board chairman said Friday.

“I think we clearly will have a difficult decision to make,” said Ron Mitchell, Jeffco’s school board president.

The application for the superintendent of the second largest district in Colorado closed earlier this month. Mitchell said 69 people submitted complete applications.

The Jeffco board voted in January to launch a national search for a new superintendent, six months before the contract with Dan McMinimee, the superintendent at the time, expired. In choosing not to renew McMinimee’s contract, the board cited concerns about the process that a previous board used to hire McMinimee, and members said they wondered if they could find a better leader.

In launching a new search for a superintendent, the board has expressed a desire to hire someone who is experienced. McMinimee came to the Jeffco job having been an assistant superintendent in the Douglas County School District, but without experience as a superintendent. In feedback gathered by a search firm hired by the district, community groups rated leadership and people skills as important traits for the job.

Last month, McMinimee left the position after reaching an agreement with the board to redesign his role with the district until his contract expires at the end of June.

The search firm, Ray and Associates — the same one used to find McMinimee — narrowed down the candidates to 11. At their board meeting Thursday night, Jeffco school board members reviewed the contenders until past midnight until they narrowed down the pool to six.

The remaining candidates will be interviewed in private by the board starting Wednesday. Only when candidates are designated finalists is the district required to identify them publicly.