Two candidates for Central Valley School District superintendent to be interviewed, but district will try to recruit more

The Central Valley School Board will interview the top two candidates for the district’s superintendent position next month, but continue recruiting in the meantime.

Gene Sementi, an associate with the search firm Northwest Leadership Associates and former West Valley School District superintendent, said only four people applied for the superintendent position. “It’s not as deep of a pool as we would have liked,” he said. “There are some good candidates in there.”

Sementi said there are a lot of regional superintendent openings, but not many people looking for a new position. Given the low numbers, Sementi said he recommended eliminating the preliminary interviews that are usually used to narrow the number of applicants and just go straight to the final interviews. “In looking through their work history, I would be very interested in bringing in two of them,” he said.

Board members on Monday expressed disappointment in the low number of applicants, and Sementi said he could try to recruit additional candidates. Some showed interest in the position but did not apply, he said.

Board member Keith Clark suggested that Sementi try some further recruiting, and board member Debra Long agreed. “No matter who we choose, we have to find the right person,” he said.

Board member Teresa Landa said it was important the district stick to its timeline, which has candidate interviews scheduled the week after spring break. “Our candidates are going to get hired,” she said. “It’s hiring season.”

The board unanimously agreed to have Sementi try to recruit additional candidates while sticking with the current schedule.