GIPS Interviews Superintendent Candidates, Sara Geake reports

GIPS Superintendent Candidate Dr. Clint Carpenter

GIPS Superintendent Candidate Dr. Scott Springston

GIPS Superintendent Candidate Dr. Bradley Meeks

Grand Island Public Schools is getting closer to naming their next superintendent.

Interviews of four finalists began November 29 and continued through the week.

"Each finalist will spend an entire day here in the district, meeting with the various stake holder groups," said Wayne Stelk, director of Human Resources. "After those four finalists have been here at the district then the board of education will consider each of those interviews and hopefully pick their selection."

School administrators say they're very optimistic they'll find the qualities they're looking for in one of those candidates found by search firm McPherson & Jacobson.

"We're looking for somebody who has strong vision for what education is going to look like in the next 10, 15, 20 years. Looking for somebody who has certainly experienced what Grand Island is currently experiencing through our growth and our growth in diversity. Somebody who can work with all of our various stake holder groups to continue Grand Island on it's strong tradition of outstanding education," said Stelk.

The board will have to decide if that describes Dr. Clint Carpenter of Texas, Dr. Scott Springston of Kansas, Dr. Bradley Meeks of Minnesota, or Dr. Robert Winter of Kansas.

Dr. Clint Carpenter

Carpenter was the first to be interviewed Monday.

He says he wasn't looking for a job, but says Grand Island's progressive district sparked his interest.

Carpenter is currently the state superintendent for the Texas Youth Commission. He overseas curriculum for the largest juvenile corrections system in the country.

"I think the background I have both in dealing with growing dynamic communities as well as the current experiences I have with dealing with fairly at risk, high poverty, special needs children helped me to understand and be able to offer something unique to those sub populations," said Carpenter.

Carpenter has a Bachelor, Masters, and PH.D. from Texas Tech University. He has been superintendent at two rural Texas schools and a growing district in a suburb of Dallas.

Dr. Scott Springston

On Tuesday Dr. Scott Springston was the second candidate to be interviewed.

Springston is currently a superintendent in Valley Center, Kansas. He is married and has a 14-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter, and says he comes from a family of educators.

Springston said he was attracted to the Grand Island job because of a friend who teaches in GI and spoke very highly of the school system.

He said that if he got the job he would come in ready to work with the Board of Education and build on what's already been established.

"I would come in and listen to people and say 'I don't have a prescribed template,' and not say 'this is what worked for me in another district this is what we're going to do here.' I will draw from my experiences as we all do, but it's definitely going to be a collaborative effort," he said. "I would not have the history or the knowledge base to come in and immediately make decisions like that."

Dr. Bradley Meeks

Dr. Bradley Meeks of Farmington, Minnesota took a tour of Grand Island and met with the G.I. Public Schools Board Wednesday.

Meeks says he's dealt with both declining and increasing enrollment at schools where he's been a superintendent. He says he was attracted to Grand Island because it's a larger and creative district.

"I see myself as a resource, perhaps as a facilitator," said Meeks. "Someone that's going to be able to bring people together, sit down collectively, share ideas, put everything out on the table."

Meeks is married and has four children.

Dr. Robert Winter

Dr. Robert Winter is currently a superintendent in Kansas.

Winter says he's no stranger to Grand Island or to Nebraska education since he was in the Scottsbluff school system for ten years.

Winter says his experiences in Kansas could help him if he comes to GI.

"My demographics in Salina look very similar to the demographics in Grand Island," he said. "We're a little smaller, about 2,000 students smaller, but when you look at my SES population, look at my ethnicity, at my English Language Learners: very similar. We've had some very positive gains in our student performance there through a fair amount of work that we've done there, and I'd like to bring that and share that with Grand Island if given the opportunity."

Winter's said his wife of 33 years is also an educator. He has a son who was in the Navy, and two daughters who graduated from Fort Hays State University and are now both in graduate programs.

The school board will meet on Monday, December 6 and continue the interview process in executive session. They could potentially choose a new superintendent that evening.

Watch NCN at 9 for the very latest from the GIPS School Board Meeting.