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Spokane Public Schools board of directors announce seven finalists for vacant seat

Seven finalists will be interviewed for the school board position vacated byBob Douthitt. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)
By Eli Francovich elif@spokesman.com(509) 459-5508

The Spokane Public Schools board of directors have picked seven finalists for a vacant board seat.

The seven finalists, who were announced this week, were selected from a pool of 16 applicants and will replace former board member Bob Douthitt, who announced his resignation Jan. 19.

The seven will be interviewed by the board of directors Monday and Tuesday starting at 5 p.m. The interviews are open to the public. The board plans to select the new member Tuesday night, after the interviews. But the decision may be postponed until Wednesday.

Board President Deana Brower said the group of candidates was strong, and choosing seven was challenging. Because the individual candidates and their qualifications were discussed in executive session, she said she couldn’t comment on specific candidates. The board selected the finalists during an open session, Wednesday.

“The consideration was very holistic,” Brower said. “We had 16 amazing candidates. We were all impressed with the quality of the candidates and their interest in our community and serving the kids in our district.”

The new member appointed to the board seat will have to run for election in November’s general election. That term will last two years.

Brower’s board seat also will be up for election in November. That seat is a six-year term. Brower said she may run for the two-year seat, instead of rerunning for her current seat.

“The two (year board seat) right now is appealing to me,” Brower said. “Just as we have some turnover and a couple of newer board members. I’d like to provide some continuity.”

The finalists:

  • Carly Cortright is an online instructor with Washington State University and the customer service director with the city of Spokane. She has worked for the city since 2003, according to her LinkedIn profile. She has a Ph.D in philosophy from Washington State University.
  • Brooke Foley is the assistant public defender with the Spokane County Public Defender. She graduated from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2010, according to her LinkedIn profile.
  • Claude Kistler, the retired general manager of KSPS-TV, who served in the position for 33 years.
  • Elise Raimi is the co-founder, producer and director of Listen to Your Mother Spokane and the treasurer of the Parent Teacher Organization for Hutton Elementary. Listen to Your Mother Spokane produces videos and other performances highlighting the challenges and joys of motherhood.
  • Bob Scarfo is the founder of Land and Life, a business focused on the growth of healthy communities focusing specifically on the environment. Scrafo is a landscape architect and has a PhD in social geography.
  • Fred Schrumpf is a trainer and a consultant for conflict resolution and restorative practices in the Spokane Public Schools. Schrumpf’s work has focused primarily on restorative discipline practices.
  • Michael Wiser is the vice president of Strategic Planning for Chas Health and has an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, according to his LinkedIn profile.

This story has been updated.