List down to four for education chief

Monday, Nov. 20, 2000 | 11:13 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Four men, one of them from Las Vegas, are the finalists to succeed state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mary Peterson, who is retiring at the end of the year.

David Sheffield, president of the state Board of Education, said the four will be interviewed Dec. 8 and a decision could be made Dec. 9 at the board's meeting in Carson City. He said the four have strong resumes.

There were 21 applications presented to the board at its meeting in Reno Saturday. The four selected are Richard LaPoint, Jack McLaughlin, Skip Wenda and Joseph Lutjeharms.

Wenda is administrator of the southern office of the state Department of Education. McLaughlin served seven years as superintendent of the Hemet Unified School District in California and later as the superintendent of the Berkeley Unified School District, also in California.

LaPointe has served as state superintendent of public instruction in Virginia and helped implement tougher learning standards. He is president and publisher of Lauback Literacy and new Readers Press in Syracuse.

Lutjeharms was Nebraska's education commissioner.

Chosen as alternatives were Al Ramirez, Christine Tyrie and William Abel.