Richland continues search for new school superintendent despite coronavirus

Richland schools leaders plan to continue with their search for a new superintendent even with the closures caused by the coronavirus.

School board members narrowed the field to four finalists after a special board meeting Thursday evening last week.

Board President Rick Jansons said normally they would visit each of the districts, but all of the candidates’ districts have closed in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.

The closures make site visits not feasible, he said.

“We are going to be figuring out as a board how to gather more information,” he said. “We are still expecting public meetings of some kind with the candidate.”

They still plan to have a decision on a new superintendent by the end of the month.

Superintendent Rick Schulte plans to retire at the end of June after six years in the position.

This is the second search for a replacement. The last one ended after district leaders decided to cancel Nicole MacTavish’s three-year contract to take over leading the 13,700-student district.

Hank Harris with Human Capital Enterprises and the school board screened several dozen applications from across the country and continent. The board interviewed six candidates before settling on four finalists.

The finalists are:

• Lexi Cunningham, the Salt Lake City School District superintendent. Cunningham spent the past four years in the position. The district serves 24,142 students.

Before moving to Salt Lake City School District, she spent 10 years as a superintendent in Arizona. Her career spans nearly 30 years.

She announced she would resign from the Utah spot at the end of the school year.

In her resignation letter, she said she was leaving “to pursue another educational opportunity.”

The move came after four school board members wanted her out, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The board president stepped down from her position shortly after citing divisiveness on the board.

• Mark Davidson, the superintendent of the Medicine Hat School Division in Alberta, Canada. The district has 7,400 students.

Davidson has been leading the district for about four years, and has 28-year career in education.

His recent position is his first time leading a district. He’s held spots as a deputy superintendent, an education manager and a high school principal.

He said his experience ranges from large urban schools to tiny rural elementary schools, according to his LinkedIn profile.

• Jon Holmen, the deputy superintendent for the Lake Washington School District. The district has 31,978 students.

Holmen has spent his entire career in Lake Washington Schools, starting as a student teacher in 1998. He became a principal before entering administration as a special education coordinator and moving into a school support position.

He has risen to a position of deputy superintendent making him the superintendent’s chief of staff.

• Carole Meyer, assistant superintendent of Moses Lake School District. The district serves 8,945 students.

Meyer spent about half of her career as principal in Spokane schools before joining Moses Lake in the second-in-command position.

She previously worked as a counselor and a special education teacher.