Board OKs Slate of Semifinalists for Superintendent

The bid for the Burnsville superintendent's position is on. 

Of 31 total applications, recruiting firm  School Exec Connect has narrowed the field to five top contenders, all of whom are "squeaky clean" with "no skeletons in the closet."

The firm presented the slate to the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Board of Education on Monday.

The five candidates are:

• Joe Gothard, assistant superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin: According to School Exec Connect, Gothard is the second in command at a " highly successful district." He has a master's degree and a six-year superintendent-principal's license. Previous to becoming an assistant superintendent, Gothard was a principal at both the high school and middle school level.

"He took on one of the toughest high schools in the city and turned it around, basically," said Dr. Kenneth Dragseth, of School Exec Connect. "I got an e-mail from a parent who said he turned their kid's life around."

Dragseth said that all sources described Gothard as a "rising star," who is actively involved in his community and "extremely well-liked" by everyone he came across. Dragseth added that Gothard is "very familiar" with the issues that arise in a diverse district like Burnsville's.

"He is definitely ready to become a superintendent," Dragseth said.

• Dr. Raymond Queener, assistant superintendent of Stillwater schools: Queener is in his eighth year as assistant superintendent, School Exec Connect representatives said. He mainly focuses on administrative services, specifically human resources and finance. At one time he was director of finance at Burnsville's neighbor, Independent School District 196.

"He's been a teacher himself, been in the classroom," Dragseth said. "He's highly respected for keeping the district moving. He's lived through lots of changes."

Queener is well-liked by staff, Dragseth said, and a hard worker. According to his peers in Stillwater, he also has a particular talent for selling the district.  

• Darren Kermes, executive director of the Carver-Scott Educational Cooperative (CSEC), also known as District 930, which provides services to non-traditional students and those with special education needs, from early childhood into adulthood. Kermes also serves as the executive director of the Minnesota River Valley Special Education Cooperative (MRVSEC).

"He is very, very good with people has a deep understanding of education and the law," said Charlie Kyte, of School Exec Connect. "When we've talked to people they say he's taken care of issues that other haven't resolved and resolved them well."

When Kermes took over as head of the cooperative, the organization had a $2 million deficit. Kyte said that Kermes turned it around, a feat that required "significant structural changes." However, Kermes is so good at consensus building, Kyte said, that he is "respected deeply even by those who lost jobs."

"No one in organization wants to see him leave," Kyte concluded. "He's a very good candidate." 

• Dr. Teri Staloch, assistant superintendent of Osseo Area Schools: Staloch has a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, as well as a master's in curriculum. She is second in command at the fifth largest district in the state, a post she has held since spring of last year. 

Prior to coming to the Osseo School District, Dr. Staloch worked as a teacher and administrator at the secondary level and in higher education. Her previous work in education includes curriculum and instructional leadership, teacher preparation, and professional development, according to the Osseo School District.

"She is very well-liked," Kyte said. "She's a powerful, motivational person who gets along great with people."

Kyte said her colleagues said that Staloch is the "best instruction lead (the district has) ever had," a "systems thinker," and a "strategic thinker." 

• Dr. Robert Slotterback, superintendent of the Richfield School District, a post he has held since 2008: Slotterback holds a PhD from University of Iowa. Prior to coming to Richfield, Slotterback helmed two suburban Milkwaukee districts.

"Everyone we've talked to said he's the best superintendent they've had in years," Dragseth said. "He's very visible in the community—flipping flapjacks at Rotary fundraisers."

Dragseth said that Slotterback has a special skill in marketing the district, which was struggling with some of the issues that Burnsville now faces when he arrived: A decrease in enrollment and a growing achievement gap. Officials with School Exec Connect say that Slotterback helped stem the losses in enrollment and successfully transitioned the elementaries into a kindergarten to fifth grade format. The studetn achievement bar has been raised, Dragseth said.

"The head of the teacher's union head spoke glowingly of him," Dragseth said. "He treats teachers respectfully."

The Burnsville Board of Education will go through five rounds of intensive interviews with the candidates over the next two days. The board is expected to choose just two finalists before the week is out. Check back with Patch each day for updates.