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Michigan superintendents in the Dearborn, Dexter, Harrison, and Huron Valley school districts are among the seven semifinalists for the state’s top education leader position.
The semifinalists for the state superintendent job also include Virginia’s former top education leader, a former Des Moines superintendent, and the head of a Michigan association of intermediate school district administrators.
Michigan’s State Board of Education chose the seven semi-finalists Tuesday after a closed session in which they reviewed 33 applications for the top job. They are seeking to replace State Superintendent Michael Rice, who announced in April that he is retiring, effective Oct. 3.
The semifinalists will be interviewed by the board in 90-minute sessions next week, on Aug. 18 and Aug. 19, during the first round of interviews. The board will then choose finalists, and the schedule includes making a final decision in early September.
Here are the seven people who will interview for the job:
- Thomas Ahart, education consultant and coach, and former superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools
- Lisa Coons, former state superintendent in Virginia and former chief academic officer for the Tennessee Department of Education
- Glenn Maleyko, superintendent, Dearborn Public Schools
- Paul Salah, superintendent, Huron Valley Schools
- John R Severson, executive director, Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators.
- Christopher Timmis, superintendent, Dexter Public Schools
- Judy Walton, superintendent and curriculum director, Harrison Community Schools
The seven semi-finalists were recommended by representatives of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, the search firm assisting the board.
Max McGee, an associate with the search firm, told the board the seven recommended are the candidates whose experiences and background best meet the 12 desired characteristics and qualifications that the firm developed based on what they heard in interviews with stakeholders, focus groups, forums, and survey results.
The board approved moving those seven recommended candidates to the first round of the interview process, with member Tom McMillin, a Republican from Oakland Township, the lone “no” vote among the eight members. McMillin had motioned to include an eighth candidate as a semifinalist, but that effort failed.
McMillin explained that his vote “doesn’t mean I oppose them all” and doesn’t mean he won’t eventually vote for one of them.
Fellow Republican Nikki Snyder, from Goodrich, voted to approve the semifinalists, but said the search process “has been inherently flawed.”
“I do believe the candidate has already been chosen,” Snyder said.
Marshall Bullock, a Democrat from Detroit, said he hasn’t chosen a candidate.
“I take some kind of dislike to that commentary that we’ve already selected a candidate. This is all very fresh to me,” Bullock said.
Earlier in Tuesday’s meeting, McGee read a list of 10 candidates for the job who had not requested confidentiality in releasing their names prior to interviews. None of them, however, were among the semifinalists. One of them was Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, a member of the Detroit Public Schools Community District board and former Michigan lawmaker and teacher.
Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.
