The District 55 School Board announced Monday night that it has selected three finalists to replace outgoing Supt. Larry Horton when he steps down this June.
The three were selected from a field of 17 applicants, said Chairman Jason Redick. The board and screening committee, consisting of 15 community members, staff members and administrators, reviewed all of the applications, and the board conducted initial interviews with several candidates.
The three finalists are Michael Narkiewicz, Heitho Reuter and Don Schrader.
Narkiewicz is principal of Brockway Elementary School in the Winston-Dillard School District. In the district, he also has been director of human resources and school improvement.
He has been an elementary school principal in the Riddle School District and high school principal in Bandon School District, where he also was special education director.
Narkiewicz holds a master of science degree in health education from Southern Oregon University with additional coursework in school administration at Portland State University and Lewis and Clark College.
Reuter is a private contractor with Lebanon Community Schools. At Lebanon, she is contracted to facilitate secondary literacy initiatives and develop response to intervention models.
She is an adjunct professor at Western Oregon University in the School of Education.
She has been employed as director of Polk-Yamhill Counties School Improvement and as a middle school assistant principal for Greater Albany Public Schools.
Reuter holds a doctorate in education leadership from the University of Oregon.
Schrader has been superintendent of Glide School District since 2005. He also has served as special education director and curriculum coordinator.
Before becoming superintendent, he was an elementary school principal, a middle school principal and high school assistant principal in the Sutherlin School District.
Schrader holds a master of education degree from the University of Oregon and a bachelor of science degree in teaching from California State University at Hayward.
The School Board will begin background checks for the finalists over the next few days, Redick said. This will include telephone reference checks, site visits and license investigations.
After the background checks, the School Board will invite each finalist for a day in the district, currently scheduled for Feb. 22. At that time, the staff and community will have an opportunity to meet the candidates.