Wayzata school board advances three finalists, sets interview schedule and posts recordings for a limited time

The Wayzata Public Schools Board of Education on March 2 voted unanimously to advance three semifinalists in its superintendent search to the second round of interviews.

MSBA facilitator Barb Dawn told the board that a subcommittee had interviewed six semifinalists and made a unanimous recommendation to move candidates identified by alphabet labels E, L and T to full-board interviews. The board then moved, seconded and approved a motion to extend offers for second-round interviews to those candidates; the clerk’s roll-call showed all members voting yes and the motion passed.

Why it matters: the board is entering the final public phase of a months-long search that included community engagement and a large applicant pool. The board’s decisions this week shape both how the community will see finalists and the timeline for selecting a lone finalist and beginning contract negotiations.

What the board approved and scheduled - Day in the district (Thursday, March 5): Executive Director of Human Resources Dave Lutz described a roughly four‑hour program for each finalist that includes student- and principal-led site visits (Birchview, Northwoods, West Middle School and the high school), a tour of the district service center and a one‑hour large-group interview with about 36 representative participants drawn from staff, parents and advisory groups. That feedback will be sent to the board ahead of the Friday interviews.

- Full-board interviews (Friday, March 6): MSBA proposed using a scoring rubric (exceeds/meets/disappoints) and a structured interview format. After discussion the board lengthened proposed interview blocks to 1 hour 45 minutes each to accommodate the final set of 14 questions the board selected and to allow a short presentation time and breaks between interviews.

- Reference checks: With finalist names set to be made public at the end of the meeting, the facilitator asked whether additional board members would be willing to make informal reference calls beyond those provided by candidates. Directors Little and Pryor volunteered to join Dawn and executive staff to conduct those checks and then report verbally to the full board.

Recording and public access The board debated whether to live-stream or later post recordings of the finalist interviews. Citing fairness concerns for candidates who interview later in the day, members agreed not to live-stream. The board reached a consensus to post audio and video recordings of all three finalist interviews for a limited period — roughly 10 days (two weekends) — then remove the two unsuccessful candidate recordings and keep the lone finalist’s interview posted indefinitely. Board members emphasized that posting decisions are discretionary (not a statutory requirement) and that the period should balance community transparency with professional courtesy to candidates.

How questions and deliberations will work MSBA staff will provide a rubric tied to the board’s leadership profile; the board will enter public deliberations after Friday’s interviews and use the rubric as one tool among others (including the day-in-the-district feedback and reference checks). The facilitator advised limiting follow-up questions during interviews to clarifying items asked at the end of an answer or as a single follow-up after the main question set so that each candidate receives the same opportunity and time allocation.

Next steps and finalists’ names At the conclusion of the meeting MSBA facilitator Barb Dawn read the finalists’ names aloud so staff could call the candidates before their names were broadly publicized: Dr. Rainey Briggs, Mr. Corey McIntyre and Dr. Rob Virgin. Board members were asked to review the applications and the public engagement summary before Friday’s interviews. If the board selects a lone finalist, the chair — working with the district’s HR director and legal counsel — will represent the board in negotiations and the board may schedule a subsequent meeting to approve a contract.

Vote at a glance - Motion to advance alphabet-identified candidates to second-round interviews: approved (roll-call: 7 yes, 0 no).

Notes on reporting Quotes and procedural details in this article come from the board’s March 2, 2026 special meeting and from comments by MSBA facilitator Barb Dawn and Executive Director Dave Lutz recorded during that meeting. Where the transcript contained variant spellings for participant names or committee labels, this article uses the district’s common usage (Wayzata Public Schools) and the facilitator’s identified organizational affiliation (MSBA).