St. Paul inches toward next schools chief

The St. Paul School District this week will unveil its list of six semifinalists for its next superintendent. The disclosure, set for Wednesday, will initiate a flurry of interviews and meetings for the final leg of choosing the district's next leader.

Education watchers say the selection will be critical because the schools are at a crucial juncture, facing formidable budgetary and student achievement challenges.

Ted Blaesing, who is leading the St. Paul search for Hazard, Young & Attea, said last week that his firm hasn't yet settled on all six candidates, "but we're getting close." Some might be "a bit undecided" and need to talk things over with family and friends, Blaesing said. "It's a big decision."

Blaesing and district officials described an interview process that will be largely in public view, including interviews with the board members Friday evening and Saturday morning. On Saturday afternoon, the board will narrow the candidate pool to three finalists. Each separately will spend a day during the next week immersed in meetings with school and local representatives.

The board will choose the final candidate -- still subject to contract negotiations -- on Nov. 23 at a special board meeting, Blaesing said.

People close to the situation have suggested that some insiders and former executives in the district could be leading candidates. Many have called for a local hire to ensure that the chosen candidate understands the district and will stay in the job for several years.

Kent Pekel -- who served as an adviser to former St. Paul schools chief Patricia Harvey, was a finalist for the post three years ago and has been widely mentioned as a possible candidate -- said Friday that he did not apply for the position.

"Ultimately, I gave it a lot of thought, but I did not apply," said Pekel, who now directs the College Readiness Consortium at the University of Minnesota. "My work at the university is not far enough along to go on to the next thing."

Similarly, the next leader will need to be in the superintendent's job for at least six years, Pekel said.

"At some point you have to stay long enough to see things through to the point of sustainability," Pekel said. "The next three to five years in St. Paul are going to be very, very tough. The board knows this."

Indeed, one attribute the district is demanding is a "commitment to staying the course for many years as the leader of the School District."

Other local education leaders have been mentioned as possible candidates, including Bernadeia Johnson, deputy superintendent for Minneapolis. Johnson, who formerly worked in the St. Paul district, was a finalist for the position three years ago. She's also viewed as a potential candidate for the Minneapolis superintendent position to succeed Bill Green, who is stepping down at the end of the current school year.

Valeria Silva, St. Paul's chief academic officer, and Nancy Stachel, its chief of schools, also have been mentioned as potential candidates.

Silva has been lauded for leading programs that help students whose first language is something other than English. She's a longtime district employee who has worked as a principal, curriculum coordinator and teacher. Silva could not be reached for comment.

Stachel has been principal of Como Park Elementary, executive director of elementary education for the district and deputy chief academic officer. She declined to comment Friday.

Blaesing, former school superintendent of the White Bear Lake district, would neither confirm nor deny who's on the finalist list. Asked whether Silva, Johnson or Stachel are candidates, Blaesing said, "I know all of those individuals, and they are great people," adding that they all have Minnesota ties. "That's an impressive group of folks. That's as much as I can tell you."

For more information on the superintendent search, visit www.spps.org.

Gregory A. Patterson • 612-673-7287