The Everett School District is in the final stages of choosing a new superintendent to succeed Gary Cohn, who is retiring after a decade in the position. The school board has selected three finalists.
The candidates are Gabriella Duran-Blakey from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ian Saltzman from Palm Beach County, Florida, and Stephen Thompson from Northeast Ohio.
The candidates will meet with community members, teachers and students Wednesday, and the board hopes to make its decision Thursday. Jared Kink, president of the Everett Education Association, says teachers have a lot of topics they want to talk about with them: from library support and special education, to teacher compensation, testing and school bonds.
“I will be asking quite a few questions about the relationship with their unions,” he said of the out-of-state candidates. “And, in those questions, get at what are their experiences with negotiating.”
The teachers' union will start negotiating a new contract next spring.
Kink says another issue facing the new superintendent is how to address overcrowding in some schools. The district has experienced difficulty clearing the 60 percent threshold needed to pass bond measures. Kink says Everett needs a new high school and some elementary schools need to be renovated.
