UPDATE: EC Superintendent Search

Three seek Eau Claire schools' top job
Stress may be creating shortage of candidates, consultant says
By Christena T. O'Brien
Leader-Telegram staff O'Brien can be reached at 830-5838, 800-236-7077
or christena.obrien@ecpc.com.
Three days before the deadline, a trio of candidates has applied to
become the Eau Claire school district's next superintendent.

Eau Claire, one of more than 20 districts in the state looking for new
superintendent, has set Friday as the application deadline.

"Going in, we knew it was going to be like this because there were so
many openings (statewide) for superintendents," said Mary Kneer, the
only school board member who was on the board when Bill Klaus was
named superintendent. "That's just the way it is."

Nineteen candidates applied for the post during the district's last
search in 1998. Klaus, then deputy superintendent of curriculum and
instruction, was selected to replace Superintendent Lee Hansen.

In west-central Wisconsin today, the Black River Falls, Bloomer,
Cumberland, Menomonie and River Falls school districts have
superintendent vacancies. However, Paul Blanford has accepted the
position in Black River Falls, and the River Falls school board is
expected to make a hiring decision as early as Monday.

Dennis Richards, a search services consultant with the Wisconsin
Association of School Boards, which is assisting the Eau Claire school
district in its search, is telling officials to expect 15 to 17
applicants.

"I think you have to take those early numbers with a grain of salt,"
said Richards, who has seen at least a half-dozen applications come
trickling in at the last minute, including in Menomonie.

Thirteen candidates have applied for the Menomonie superintendent
position vacated by Jesse Harness, who stepped down last year to take
a job with Cooperative Service Educational Service Agency 11.

The deadline for applicants seeking the superintendent's job in
Bloomer is Feb. 1. Bloomer school board members will receive an update
on the district's search Wednesday night. Michael Wallschlaeger, whose
consulting firm is conducting the search, said Monday that 23 people
have asked for application materials.

"I think as a general rule there are fewer people out there wanting
these positions," said Richards, who served as Black River Falls
superintendent for 23 years before retiring June 30. "Dealing with
declining enrollments ... and budget constraints can make these pretty
stressful jobs."

Richards, one of about 40 superintendents to retire last year, is
assisting seven districts with searches and said candidates are
applying for multiple positions.

Klaus, Eau Claire's superintendent for nine years, left the position
to become principal at Northstar Middle School. Klaus made $141,766
and had a $10,926 annuity as of June 28, 2007.

James Leary, president of an educational consulting firm based in
Holcombe, was named interim superintendent last summer.

In addition to the three applicants for the Eau Claire post, four
others have completed the initial application process.

The seven-member school board is scheduled to review applications
later this month, selecting finalists for the position in February.
The new superintendent is expected to start July 1.

Kneer said she'd rather see a smaller number of qualified candidates
than a larger pool of less-qualified applicants.

"If we don't get good applicants, we'll start over," she said. "That's
all we can do."