By a 6-0 vote on Wednesday night, the Brandon School Board voted to narrow the search for a new district superintendent down to four candidates.
Trustee Luke Frye was absent from the meeting.
The closed session meeting, with Mike Wilmot of the Southeast Michigan Region of the Michigan Leadership Institute, lasted about 45 minutes. The board members sifted through 10 applications for the district superintendent. Wilmot did not identify those applicants who didn’t make the first round of interviews scheduled for next week.
‘We had some very good candidates for the job,? said Wilmot. ‘However, this is not the peak time to be searching for a superintendent, a few weeks before the year starts. Still, I’m pleased with the responses and the names selected by the board.?
The decision follows the retirement of District Superintendent Tom Miller, who accepted a position as a high school principal for ‘at-risk? students in Arizona. Miller’s job ended July 3; however, due to vacation days, his last day was June 25.
Lorrie McMahon, the district’s executive director of curriculum, was named interim superintendent.
The district will seek a three-year contract for a Brandon superintendent. The position was posted online, in trade perodicals, and at universities on June 19 and closed on July 25. Interview dates will be from 6- 8 p.m., Aug. 6 and 7 at the Brandon Middle School media center, with a target date for a new superintendent to be hired on Aug. 20. Each interview will be about 90 minutes and open to the public.
The board of trustees will ask the interviewees questions focusing on incorporating community relations, political awareness, leadership attributes, instruction curriculum, finances and staff personnel.
Following the interviews, two candidates will be selected and invited to visit the Brandon School District for a day. ‘That will be the time to meet with community individuals,? said Wilmot.
The candidates for superintendent include:
1. Bill Eis, superintendent in the Western School District, Parma, Mich., Jackson County.
2. Rob Glass, executive director of instruction in the Birmingham School District, Oakland County.
3. Mark Kleinhans, superintendent of the Montrose School District, Genesee County.
4. Lorrie McMahon, current interim superintendent for Brandon School District, executive director of curriculum.