Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The Steamboat Springs School Board meets tonight to attempt to identify its top candidate for the district’s open superintendent position.

Finalists Brad­ley Meeks, a superintendent for Farmington Area Public Schools in Minnesota, and Lance Villers, the superintendent of the 500-student Custer County School District in Westcliffe, will be the focus of at least an hour of public discussion among board members tonight.

Meeks and Villers were informed after five hours of public interviews on Friday at The Steamboat Grand that they were the board’s top two choices to lead the district.

During tonight’s meeting, the board will compare and contrast each candidate with the hopes of selecting the one who would be the best fit for the district. Members of the public will be allowed to address the board and provide their input during the public comment portion of the meeting at 7 p.m.

“Lance and Brad rose to the top,” board member Lisa Brown said after Friday’s interviews. “Everyone who came authentically presented themselves, and every candidate has a challenge or concern they would need to overcome, but Lance and Brad have experience that would be beneficial to our district.”

The board hopes that after today’s meeting they can begin negotiating a salary, benefits package and start date with Meeks or Villers.

Finalists Rosanne Fulton, the assistant superintendent of the 30,000-student Tacoma School District in Washington, and Michelle Johnstone, a principal at Spangler Elementary School in Longmont, still remain in the running for the district’s top job, but the board told them Friday they were the bottom two candidates and would not be the focus of ongoing discussions for the position.

Colorado Open Meetings Law required that the board make public the list of finalists at least 14 days before a person is appointed, making June 25 the earliest date the board officially can hire the next superintendent. Finalists’ names were revealed June 11.

Also tonight, the board will vote whether to designate someone to serve as interim superintendent if a contract with Meeks or Villers cannot be finalized before June 27.

Board member Brian Kelly said it’s important for the board to move quickly in finding its next superintendent.

“We have people who can hold the fort in July, but the staff comes back Aug. 1 and you want this new person settled in a little bit before this school year starts cranking up,” he said.

The board indicated last month that it would offer the successful candidate a one- or two-year contract.

During their initial deliberations about the four finalists on Friday, board members praised Villers for his honesty, experience, and his assertion that a school district “cannot quantify everything.” Meeks was praised for the scope of his experience leading large and small school districts, and for his familiarity with alternative education programs such as Montessori and charter schools.

Also on tonight’s meeting agenda:

■ Consideration of approval of a collaborative bargaining team proposal for district staff

■ Possible approval and adoption of a supplemental budget for North Routt Community Charter School

■ Possible approval and adoption of the board’s meeting schedule for the 2011-12 school year.

— To reach Scott Franz, call 871-4210 or email ScottFranz@SteamboatToday.com