Ann Arbor school board picks three finalists for superintendent job
After three days of interviews, the Ann Arbor school board narrowed its list of superintendent candidates to three finalists — North Allegheny Superintendent Patricia Green, Oregon Trail Superintendent Shelley Redinger and Des Moines Chief Academic Officer Michael Munoz.
Board president Deb Mexicotte said Friday that each finalist demonstrated meaningful experience, worked with diverse student populations and showed a wide breadth of knowledge about issues facing education.
She said she had moments in each finalist’s interview where she thought board members had found the next Ann Arbor schools superintendent.
“They brought to the table an idea that they would be a good fit for the Ann Arbor Public Schools,” she said. “I found myself looking at these three candidates and saying, ‘Yes, this candidate would be good for our students, good for our community and good for our district, and I can see them in this role moving forward.'”
Patricia Green
Board members interviewed six candidates in separate sessions Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. After Friday's interviews, they selected the three finalists.
The superintendent position has been vacant since October, when former superintendent Todd Roberts departed for a job in North Carolina. Administrator Robert Allen has been serving as interim superintendent for the 16,500-student district, but did not apply for the permanent position.
Green has served since 2002 as superintendent of the North Allegheny School District, an 8,100-student district in Pennsylvania. She already announced her intention to leave her position there in July to seek other opportunities.
Green previously served as acting deputy superintendent for instruction for the Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland. Green has worked in education for most of her career, serving as a teacher, principal and in a number of administrative positions.
Shelley Redinger
Redinger has served as superintendent of the 4,000-student Oregon Trail School District in Sandy, Ore., since 2007. She also was a teacher at the elementary and middle school levels, a principal and an administrator in the district.
Munoz is the only finalist who has not served as a superintendent. He has been in education for 32 years and currently serves as chief academic officer of Des Moines Public Schools, which has a student population of 32,000. He previously worked as regional executive director for the Northeast Region of the district.
Candidates not selected by trustees to continue in the process were William DeFrance, superintendent of Eaton Rapids Public Schools in Michigan, and Paul Long, chief executive officer of the Pennsbury School District in Pennsylvania. Manuel Rodriguez, assistant superintendent in charge of middle schools for Baltimore County Public Schools in Maryland, withdrew his name from consideration for personal reasons.
Michael Munoz
Next week, trustees Christine Stead, Glenn Nelson and Susan Baskett will make site visits to the finalists’ districts to meet with community members and discuss each candidate.
“I’m looking for the average Joe’s perspective, as well as the board’s perspective for what it’s like to work with them on a professional level,” Baskett said. “I’m also looking forward to hearing from the students.”
A decision on the next superintendent is expected the first weekend of March.
Finalists will be brought back to Ann Arbor for community forums, where the public will get to ask questions. The forums are tentatively scheduled for March 5, with a time and place yet to be announced.
The next day, trustees will interview each finalist again and then choose the new superintendent, pending negotiation.
Nelson said he was drawn to the finalists because they're experts in instruction in education and are experienced in their administrative roles. He said he hopes to speak with recent hires the candidates have made while he is on the site visits to get their input.
“One of the things I’m looking for that I don’t think that comes through in an interview with the candidate himself or herself, or paperwork, is the kind of people they hire and the teamwork and the spirit of that,” he said. “I’ll be particularly looking for the atmosphere among people they work with closely and the quality of those people.”
Kyle Feldscher covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com.
Comments
say it plain
Tue, Feb 22, 2011 : 2:11 a.m.
Yes, good catch @glaciererratic! Please, AAPS board...notice that Redinger's stated reasons for applying might be a *dead giveaway* on what will be her style and commitment in the position! I have seen how this works at the the level of school principal--someone who seemed well qualified, well spoken, and with the right 'credentials', but whose language could have given away, as Redinger's might, that it's "all about her"! I hope that the board members making site visits really *listen* to what the local people have to say about these candidates...are they *good with people*?! Would their colleagues and underlings be sad to see them leave?! The people around them will be a gauge of the day-to-day, and the reality of interacting with these candidates, and thus is an opportunity to get beyond convincing sound-bytes and pretty slogans or good 'interview'. I'd want to see some love being directed toward the successful candidate by the people around them, not merely guarded respect or deference!
glacialerratic
Tue, Feb 22, 2011 : 1:11 a.m.
For Redinger, the opportunity's all about her and not about the schools. She's applied to Ann Arbor: "because of its "size, reputation and location convenient to both the University of Michigan and one of her husband's work offices. It would be a good move for both of us," Redinger said." <a href="http://www.sandypost.com/news/story.php?story_id=129814298000247600" rel='nofollow'>http://www.sandypost.com/news/story.php?story_id=129814298000247600</a> Does this sound like someone who'd stick around when the next opportunity knocks? Nope.
A2anon
Tue, Feb 22, 2011 : 1:39 p.m.
Why are those bad reasons to apply for a job? None of the candidates have ties to Ann Arbor.... they need "reasons" to come here. Those sound like fine ones to me.
magnumpi
Tue, Feb 22, 2011 : 1:43 a.m.
wow. does that sound like someone who is applying for the right reasons? good find.
magnumpi
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 9:55 p.m.
i agree with mike that having some kind of financial understanding would be a plus for any candidate, and hopefully whomever they choose will stick around for awhile; there is a lot of work to be done and good things to be maintained. aa.com, please remove the offensive comment that is on the story about Ms.Green.
Mike
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 9:15 p.m.
The teachers are most likely going to be asked to make some concessions, it doesn't make sense to me that we increase the salary for this position. I'd suggest the candidate that is picked have some financial background and understanding since we will be dealing with tight finances with the upcoming education spending cuts. We can all weather these tough financial times if we understand that cuts will have to be made and we'll need a superintendent with the moxy to get it done.
Dog Guy
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 8:39 p.m.
I know nine AAPS staff whom I consider to be very worthy candidates for superintendent-- all good administrators, leaders, politic, personable intelligent, hardworking, reliable, stable. The Ann Arbor school board has more access to private information than I do, however, and clearly has concluded that AAPS staff are inferior.
Watching
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 4:32 p.m.
I agree with justcary. Narrowing down the search to people from out of town appears destined to continue the revolving door practice in the office of School Superintendent. Extra points should be given to the qualifications of persons in the community who are committed to staying here. A local candidate would not have to go through a long learning process about the system. Otto Haisley served as the superintendent of the Ann Arbor Public schools for 29 years. We could use another Otto Haisley.
justcary
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 4:08 p.m.
Does anyone know why superintendency has become the work of carpetbaggers? Can it be shown that this well-paid position is better filled by someone from without, rather than a true community member? The pattern has been for people to show up, institute some change for better or worse, pad their resume, and leave to climb some kind of ladder before they can be held accountable. Simpson: got give-backs from teachers and left town. Fornero: forced the construction of a new high school, cut out when ground was broken. Roberts: shut down the last remnants of the middle school program, and is gone. There must be some reason that this system makes sense. I'd love to know!
SonnyDog09
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 12:31 p.m.
Given the impending budget cuts, can the school board still justify the proposed salary increase for this position?
CLX
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 2:39 a.m.
Looking at where these candidates are coming from, I feel entirely confident that we did not need to up the salary to attract the right candidate. There is no way these folks were making any where near the kind of money the board has slated for this position, even factoring in the fact that they'll need a raise to come here. This job would be a huge step up for any one of these candidates. Let's hope the salary is appropriate.
DonBee
Sun, Feb 20, 2011 : 2:16 a.m.
9 airplane tickets plus hotel, plus meals, plus transportation, plus, plus. Then add a major salary for the winner. Yes, the Ann Arbor Public Schools is just like the Mayor and City Council. They know how to spend money.
A2anon
Sat, Feb 19, 2011 : 6:04 p.m.
With just the reports of the interviews as posted here, I'm betting on Ms. Redinger. Her message seemed spot-on for our district.
John B.
Sat, Feb 19, 2011 : 5:47 p.m.
My money's on Ms. Green. Just a hunch, though, really.... Others?