Superintendent semifinalists named

Terry Webster

Wednesday, Nov. 17, 1999 | 1:03 a.m.

One of them may be the superintendent who will lead the Clark County School District into the next millennium.

This morning the district revealed the semifinalists who are competing for its top position.

The candidates are Kenneth Burnley, superintendent of schools in Colorado Springs, Colo.; James Fleming, superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District in Southern California; George Garcia, superintendent of Tucson Unified School District in Tucson, Ariz; Henry Marockie, state superintendent of schools for the West Virginia Department of Education; and Joseph Redden, former commandant of cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

The announcement of the semifinalists marks the start of four days of interviewing and skills demonstration through hands-on exercises called assessment centers. During the exercises, the candidates will be asked to explain how they would handle different school issues.

Not only will the candidates have to think fast on their feet, they'll be doing it all in open session.

"They're going to have to be able to withstand that kind of pressure," said Ruth Johnson, board president. "Because it's only going to get worse from there."

One candidate will be the first to participate in the assessment center on Thursday. Interviews continue through Saturday for four of the candidates and a fifth candidate, who could not be in town this week, will be interviewed on Nov. 29.

Johnson said Clark County is "a pretty good district. But that doesn't mean we don't need improvements."

"I think we all need to keep at the forefront of our minds what we are all here for," she said. "It's easy to get side-tracked with all the details we have to deal with. But we have to remember we are all here for the children. That's our number one priority."

The board expects the new superintendent to be able to handle weighty issues like the district's rapid growth, racial and socio-economic diversity, high school dropouts, teen pregnancy and teen suicide.

"It seems like we're asking for a lot," said Kathy Harney, search project liason. "It's a very rigorous process that the candidates will undergo. It's unique because the whole process is being done in open meeting session. Typically, organizations choose people behind closed doors."

Board member Shirley Barber said it's important for all board members to be present for the entire process. She disputed a proposal to have the board president and vice president report back to others for a portion of the process.

"I think we all should be involved in all of it," she said. "I feel very strongly about that. When my constituents ask me something, I want to know what I'm talking about."

The new superintendent could be named by Dec. 16, if the board decides to make its selection from the pool of candidates announced today. If not, the entire process will begin again.

Brian Cram, the district's present superintendent, retires effective July 2000.