Interesting news out of Utah where Georgia state school superintendent John Barge is a finalist for the state school chief post.
Utah does not elect its school superintendent as does Georgia. The school chief is appointed.
Barge did not run for a second term, choosing instead to challenge Gov. Nathan Deal in the GOP primary for governor in protest of the deep cuts to education. Barge lost.
I heard Barge was being considered for at least two county superintendent jobs in Georgia, but this would be a bigger coup for him.
From the Utah State Board of Education:
The Utah State Board of Education will interview four finalists for the position of State Superintendent of Public Instruction on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014.
The interviews start at 3:30 p.m. at the Utah State Office of Education, 250 E. 500 South, in Salt Lake City. They will be conducted in open session, and the public is invited. The following individuals will be interviewed:
John Barge, current Georgia state superintendent
Martin Bates, current Granite School District superintendent
Rich Crandall, former director of the Wyoming Department of Education
Brad Smith, current Ogden School District superintendent
The finalists were selected from among a larger group of semi-finalists interviewed Sept. 15 by nearly 50 community stakeholders.
Each interview is expected to take approximately one hour. Board members are scheduled to privately discuss the candidates in their regular meeting Friday, Oct. 10. It is anticipated a new superintendent will be named in the days immediately following the interviews.
Former Superintendent Martell Menlove announced his retirement in March. The Board of Education then formed a Superintendent Search Committee, which conducted a nationwide search over the summer. In addition to soliciting applications and nominations through conventional methods, the committee also contracted with Search Group Partners, a Salt Lake City-based executive recruiting firm, to assist in finding qualified and interested candidates for the position.
Joel Coleman, superintendent for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, has served as the interim State Superintendent of Public Instruction since August
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