The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Board interviews supt. candidates
About 50 residents listen in at interviews for next leader
By Brian Cox, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 6, 2008
The Saline school board wrapped up the first round of interviews this week of five candidates for the open superintendent's post.
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Before an average of 40 to 50 district residents and staff gathered in the Saline Middle School media center, the candidates fielded 18 questions from board members over the course of an hour and a half.
The board interviewed Brian Metcalf and Robert Glass Monday night. Tuesday night, George Przygodski and Scot Graden were interviewed. The final candidate, Catherine Ash, was expected to be interviewed Wednesday night after the newspaper's deadline.
The candidates were asked to talk about specific times they were faced with a challenging situation and needed to bring a diverse group of people together; times when they made specific program changes; how they communicated with staff, the board, and the community; about their experience with contract negotiations and budget development; and other issues.
Questions were also taken from the audience on index cards, ranging from the candidate's thoughts on special education to privatization to class sizes. The candidates were invited to ask questions of the board.
Metcalf, the assistant superintendent for human resources and instruction for Marshall Public Schools, said afterward that he did a lot of research on the Saline School District before deciding to apply for the position.
"Research has led to a lot of good decisions in my life," he said, adding that there were many similarities Saline and Marshall shared.
He identified his strong points as "vast experience" in education law, a sound background in human resources and district finances, a focus on curriculum, and a collaborative leadership style.
Glass, the executive director of Instruction for Birmingham Public Schools, said he was a big proponent of involving as many people as possible in the decision-making process.
"The more global a decision, the greater the gravity, the more people that need to be included," he said.
Glass said his strengths were collaboration, communication, being a visionary, having integrity and principle, and a willingness to always be learning.
Przygodski is the deputy superintendent for human resources and operations for the Avondale School District, which is currently operating in a deficit. A former football player for the University of Michigan, he lived in Pittsfield Township and his children graduated from Ann Arbor schools.
In his closing remarks, Przygodski said, "I don't only want to come here, I want to retire here. I'm not an outsider. I'm one of you. I want to come home."
He said he had prepared himself for 31 years in education for the opportunity to lead the district.
Graden, Saline's current interim superintendent, drew upon his lifetime association with Saline.
"This is where I see myself moving forward as a leader," he said. "One of the fortunate things about being from the community is that visibility is not a problem."
He said that his lack of classroom experience would not be a hindrance to his effectiveness as superintendent.
"Being a superintendent has multiple facets," he said. "I can tell you that in my role as interim superintendent that on a day-to-day basis I am not using skills that come from the classroom. I would argue that the breadth of my experience has prepared me for the job."
More details on the interviews, including the one Wednesday night with Ash, can be found on the newspaper's Web site and blog.
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