Camas School Board names top four superintendent candidates

The Camas School Board has announced its top four candidates in the running to replace former Camas School District Superintendent Jeff Snell. Snell, who had led the Camas School District for the past decade — as deputy superintendent from 2011 to 2016 and as superintendent since 2016 — left the district in July 2021 to become superintendent of the nearby Vancouver Public Schools. The Camas School Board appointed the district’s director of elementary education, Doug Hood, to act as interim superintendent for the 2021-22 school year. The new superintendent will start their position with the Camas School District on July 1, 2022. The school board met Tuesday, Nov. 16, with consultants from McPherson & Jacobson to review 17 superintendent applicants and whittle the list down to their top four choices. Those candidates include: Charlene Williams, who has served as the Camas School District’s assistant superintendent since 2016; John Anzalone, an assistant superintendent of education services for the 320,000-student Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada; Heidi Harris, an assistant superintendent of student learning at the 17,065-student Auburn School District in Auburn, Washington; and Michelle Kuss-Cybula, the superintendent of the 849-student Cle Elum-Roslyn School District in Cle Elum, Washington. The candidates will interview with members of the Camas School Board and meet with school district stakeholders -- including teachers, students, parents and community members -- on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. The school board will present the four candidates to the general public via recorded videos by 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1, and will take feedback from the public and stakeholders before making a final decision. School board members have said they hope to select the district's new superintendent by Dec. 13. The school board, along with McPherson & Jacobson consultants leading the nationwide superintendent search, have gathered public input throughout the process -- hosting in-person “listening posts” in September; opening an online ThoughtExchange that drew nearly 400 participants in October; and meeting with 10 different stakeholder groups, including Camas students, staff, teachers and interested community members. The community, as well as staff and students, listed similar qualities they hoped to see in the district’s next superintendent, including being a good listener, working well with staff, helping students develop critical thinking skills and being a transparent, effective communicator who would be engaged with the community and dedicated to seeing and serving each student. See more coverage of the Camas School District’s hunt for its next superintendent at the Post-Record online: camaspostrecord.com/news/2021/mar/04/camas-school-district-superintendent-named-new-head-of-vancouver-schools/ camaspostrecord.com/news/2021/mar/11/camas-schools-superintendent-its-hard-to-say-goodbye/ camaspostrecord.com/news/2021/apr/08/camas-names-interim-schools-head/ camaspostrecord.com/news/2021/sep/16/hunt-begins-for-next-camas-school-district-superintendent/ camaspostrecord.com/news/2021/oct/14/search-for-new-camas-schools-superintendent-goes-nationwide-community-weighs-in/ camaspostrecord.com/news/2021/nov/11/17-apply-for-top-camas-schools-job/

Related Stories