The Crookston School Board selected six semi-finalists to interview for the school district’s superintendent position. The semi-finalists are:
- Jeremy Tammi, Superintendent, South Koochiching/Rainy River, MN
- Tara Lere, Superintendent, Plummer-Worley, ID
- Jason Stanoch, Principal/Career Academies Director, Bemidji, MN
- Todd Selk, Superintendent, Fosston, MN
- Brad Johnson, Superintendent, Renville County West, MN
- Tim Godfrey, Superintendent, Red Rock Central, MN
The semi-finalists were selected from a pool of 20 applicants based on criteria established by the school board, as well as survey input provided by Crookston Public Schools staff and members of the public. “It was very successful. We got 20 applications in total, which is phenomenal, most we’ve ever had, and our MSBA representative mentioned that’s more than a lot of the districts he’s ever seen. So there’s a lot of interest out there,” said Crookston School Board Chair Tim Dufault. “We had a lot of really good candidates, and you know, the cream rises to the top. So we feel we got six good candidates. There are even a few more that we didn’t put on the list. We could have. That’s how deep the pool was. So we’re looking really good for next week to hold first- and second-round interviews. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, we will have a new superintendent.”
Dufault added that the pool of candidates was outstanding, and it is good to see the interest from quality candidates in the Crookston School District. “It’ll be interesting to talk to them to see what attracted them to Crookston. We’re not a large district. We don’t pay like some of the bigger districts. We have the same problems as other districts, but what tangible and intangible benefits can they get from coming to Crookston?” said Dufault. “A lot of them had reasons. They were from the area. The out-of-state people, they were looking to relocate back to Minnesota was a draw. And a lot of the candidates weren’t too far away from our area, you know, within a stone’s throw. That helped. So, yeah, it was fun to have to pick through good talent.”
The school board has scheduled interviews for the semi-finalists beginning at 4:00 p.m. on February 10 and 11.
All interviews will be held at the Crookston School and are open to the public. To ensure a level playing field for all candidates, the interviews will not be livestreamed or recorded.
