Superintendent candidates down to two

Two of the three superintendent candidates selected from the May school board meeting will continue the race for the position on June 11.

As of Thursday, according to Interim Superintendent Jeannie Dwyer, Louise Simson has accepted a superintendent position in California and has dropped her candidacy for Douglas.

Angelo Frankie Alvarado and Patrick Peters are still expected to interview during the school board meeting on Tuesday and speak with the public at a Meet and Greet scheduled for Monday.

At the May 21 meeting, board members presented their individual screening process of all the candidates who applied for the superintendent position, ranking each and narrowing it down to Alvarado, Simson and Peters.

Each candidate’s application can be viewed on the Douglas County School District website.

So far, Alvarado is the board’s top choice with a score of 91 percent. He currently serves as an Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for the Ukiah Unified School District, in Ukiah, Calif. Having spent 14 years in education, nine in administration, Alvarado has worked in a variety of roles; including special education, special education coordinator, assistant principal, principal, and director all throughout the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. Additionally, he has coached soccer, football, basketball and softball.

In his application, Alvarado said he understands the importance of building trusting relationships.

“I believe that it is important to value all school community members,” he said. “I firmly believe that all students can achieve excellence in education, character and citizenship in partnership with parents and community.”

Because Simson dropped out, Peters moved up to the second candidancy position.

Peters appealed to the board for his master’s degree in education and 30 years of experience, 22 of which were in a leadership role.

In his application, Peters conveys his dedication to not only his career, but a mission to practice what he teaches.

“My transition from the classroom to administrative roles highlighted not only adaptability, but also a persistent determination to bring about positive changes in educational practices and policies,” said Peters.

Similar to the interview process in January, the public will be able to rank the candidates using a star ranking survey during the Meet and Greet, which the board is expected to consider when discussing their choices during the interview. 

“The Meet and Greet is a great opportunity for parents, staff and community members to meet the candidates, engage in discussions, and learn about their vision for the future of our school district,” said Dwyer.

At the interview, board members will ask each candidate a series of questions, then they deliberate and possibly choose a candidate to hire.

After selecting a superintendent, the board will discuss and take action on the process for negotiating a contract with the new superintendent.

If the board’s first choice does not accept the position, the board will discuss and take action on whether to offer the position to the other candidate or to re-open the application window and permit an outside agency to search for more candidates.

The process of hiring a new superintendent for the district began in December after the contract with former Superintendent Keith Lewis ended Nov. 1.