The St. Joseph School District Board of Education has announced three finalists for the superintendent’s position.
The Board held first round interviews on Saturday, January 13.
“The search has been a rigorous process that began with input on what the district is seeking in a new superintendent from hundreds of citizens and staff members through focus groups, public forums and an online survey. We were very pleased with the quality of applicants we received and are confident that any one of the three finalists would be an excellent leader for our school district and in our community,” said Lori Prussman and Larry Koch, the two Board members overseeing the search process.
During the upcoming round of final interviews, citizens, staff members, parents and students will provide the Board input on a finalist.
According to a press release from the school district, the three finalists are Dr. Rebecca Albrecht, Dr. William Cowling and Dr. Douglas Van Zyl.
Dr. Rebecca (Becky) Albrecht is in her third year as superintendent of Maryville R-II School District. Previously, she was superintendent of Trenton School District for nine years. She has raised achievement in both districts, including helping Trenton earn its first “Performance with Distinction” award from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She is actively involved in the community and a partner with higher education institutions. Dr. Albrecht is a native of Northwest Missouri and attended Northwest Missouri State University. She also has a master’s degree from Southwest Missouri State and her Specialist and Doctorate degrees from William Woods University. She and her husband have three children.
Dr. William (Bill) Cowling is currently Assistant Superintendent of Management Services for the Blue Springs School District. He has been in that position for 10 years and oversees ancillary operations and associated financial requirements. He has had a 25-year career in Blue Springs as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent. Over the past 10 years, he has led multiple district improvement projects with associated public interest initiatives. In addition, Dr. Cowling has had a long career as an officer in the Army and National Guard, including multiple tours overseas. He spent time in Iraq helping to rebuild local communities. He has a BS from Central Missouri, an MS from the University of Kansas, and a doctorate from St. Louis University. Dr. Cowling has deep roots in St. Joseph, with family members and a small family farm in the area. He and his wife have two children.
Dr. Douglas (Doug) Van Zyl is in his eighth year as superintendent in Fort Dodge, Iowa, which is a school district of approximately 4,000 students. He has helped increase student achievement, stabilized the budget and helped develop multiple partnerships between the school district and local business and civic organizations. He recently helped the district pass a bond issue with more than a 70% approval rating. Prior to Fort Dodge, Dr. Van Zyl was superintendent of Harrisonville, Missouri, for three years. He has also served as an assistant superintendent, principal and teacher. He has a BS degree from Northwestern College, an MS from Sam Houston State University, and a doctorate from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Dr. Van Zyl and his wife have three children.
All three candidates will participate in interviews with the Board and with interview committees later this month.
The interview committees are comprised of teachers, administrators, community stakeholders, parents and students. Each candidate will spend most of a day within the school district ending in a two-hour interview with the Board.
After the finalists have all been interviewed, the Board will select one candidate to hire and will begin negotiations around the new superintendent’s contract. No salary has been set and the appointment is pending salary and benefit negotiations with the selected candidate. All the candidates have indicated they plan to live in St. Joseph if appointed superintendent.
School Exec Connect, the firm assisting the Board with the superintendent search, conducted a number of forums and focus groups with members of the school community and conducted an online survey to determine the specific expertise, experience and skills desired in the new superintendent. This research led to the creation of a “New Superintendent Profile” that was presented to and approved by the Board. School Exec Connect then recruited and reviewed the applications of more than 25 individuals, conducting interviews with a number of possible candidates, prior to presenting a slate of semi-finalists for the Board’s review. The Board conducted interviews with the semi-finalists January 13th and narrowed the field to the three finalists to be further interviewed during January.
The Board expects to name the new superintendent at its February meeting.