By Jason Arndt
Editor
The Burlington Area School District unveiled the list of three finalists in its search for a new superintendent on Thursday.
The Board of Education met in a Tuesday closed session to interviewed the candidates and notified them before the district released their names.
The three finalists are as follows:
- Mark Elworthy, District Administrator, Whitewater Unified School District
- Stephen Plank, High School Principal, Middleton Cross-Plains Area School District
- Marty McGinley, District Administrator, Wheatland J1 School District
The three finalists will appear at an April 4 Meet and Greet session in the auditorium at Burlington High School from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
The candidates will be given 45 minutes each to introduce themselves and answer questions from the public.
The Meet and Greet session starts with Elworthy at 6 p.m. followed by Plank at 6:50 and conclude with McGinley at 7:40.
School Board President Rosanne Hahn said in a news release community involvement in the process is imperative.
“It is important that we involve community members in the process. The board will take the public’s feedback into consideration before making a decision,” Hahn said. “The pool of candidates was excellent and it took awhile to narrow it down.”
One of three finalists will replace Peter Smet, who announced his retirement in January, after he served the district in multiple capacities for 30 years.
Smet has been with the district since 1988 and became superintendent in 2012 following positions as vocational program coordinator, assistant superintendent-businesses services.
Smet said in the January letter to the Board of Education the time was right to retire.
“Our facilities are poised to be in the best shape they have ever been in with the work that will be completed over the next three years,” he wrote in the letter.
After the Board of Education accepted Smet’s resignation, effective July 1, it sought search assistance from the Wisconsin Association of School Boards. The cost assistance was not to exceed $12,000.
The district received 23 applications. The school board conducted an initial round of interviews with six candidates before narrowing the list of candidates to these three finalists.
The Standard Press will have more on the three candidates in the March 28 print edition.
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