Panel of 20 Will Help in Search for School Chief

By KELLEY BOUCHARD

The Portland School Committee is expected to appoint a 20-member interview panel on Sept. 3 to help in a nationwide search for a new superintendent.

The nominated panel includes teachers, administrators, union representatives, parents and a variety of community representatives, said Sarah Thompson, a School Committee member and the search chairwoman.

The position will be advertised nationally in October. Thompson said she hopes to hire a superintendent by February. The person would start work as the head of Maine’s largest school district on July 1.

Jeanne Whynot-Vickers, a former assistant superintendent of the district, has served as interim superintendent since the resignation of Mary Jo O’Connor during a budget crisis last summer. Whynot- Vickers has said that she doesn’t want the position permanently.

The proposed interview panel will include Joan Gildart, a Longfellow Elementary School teacher; Christian Perry, a King Middle School teacher; Kathryn Toppan, a Deering High School teacher; Herb Hopkins, the district’s finance director; Grace Valenzuela, the district’s multicultural director; Derek Pierce, Casco Bay High School’s principal; and Kathleen Casasa, a Deering High School teacher and the teachers’ union president.

Also, Steve Rogers, Portland High’s assistant principal and the administrators’ union president; Al Higgins, district electrician and school employees union president; Heather Washburn, a Presumpscot Elementary School ed tech; Luisa Deprez, women’s studies director at the University of Southern Maine; Abraham Peck, director of USM’s Academic Council for Jewish, Christian and Islamic Studies; and Margaret Hazlett, an East End Community School parent.

Also, Gretchen Berg, a Hall Elementary School parent; Regina Phillips, a Deering High parent; David Ruff, a King Middle School and Clifford Elementary School parent; Kathy Buxton, a Riverton Elementary School parent; Ethan Strimling, executive director of Portland West; Khadija Guled, a social worker for Community Counseling; and a student to be named.

The School Committee has compiled feedback from nearly 500 people who attended forums or answered a survey last spring on the desired qualities of a superintendent.

Participants stressed the importance of hiring a superintendent who is a good communicator, has experience as a teacher, an administrator and a financial manager, and is familiar with Portland, Thompson said.

The School Committee will screen all applications based on those characteristics and choose candidates to be considered by the interview panel.

The panel will do interviews and site visits and forward that information to the School Committee, which will make the appointment.

Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at:

kbouchard@pressherald.com

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MORE ONLINE:

For more information about the superintendent search, go to:

www.portland schools.org

Originally published by By KELLEY BOUCHARD Staff Writer.

(c) 2008 Portland Press Herald. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.