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Aitkin board selects seven candidates to interview for superintendent
Summary
The Aitkin Public School Board voted to invite seven candidates for interviews as part of its superintendent search, after an MSBA consultant reviewed applications and privacy rules; the board set first-round interview slots and agreed second-round visits should be in person.
The Aitkin Public School Board voted to invite seven candidates for interviews in its search for a new superintendent, the board announced at its March 10 meeting.
The board, following guidance from an MSBA consultant, reviewed applications by anonymous letter identifiers and used a rubric to narrow the field. After discussion and a tally of members’ preferences, the board moved to offer interviews to candidates identified by letters A, B, C, E, G, I and J. The motion passed unanimously.
The consultant, speaking to the board, explained privacy requirements for applicant materials and outlined the planned schedule: a first round of interviews over two early-evening sessions and a second round for finalists that the board said should be conducted in person so candidates can visit the community. The consultant said he would release the selected candidates’ names and begin scheduling; later in the meeting he read the seven names aloud and said he would circulate a press release and interview schedule.
Board members discussed logistics for community and staff input during the process. The consultant described a typical approach in which small, representative groups from each building and job area (teachers, support staff, bus drivers, students) review candidates and submit brief electronic comments after each interview; the consultant compiles those responses and delivers them to the board before deliberations.
The board also confirmed that reference checks and licensure verification would be conducted for invited candidates and that the district would retain application materials as required for records. The board set the first-round interview windows for next week and instructed the consultant to arrange times and provide a public schedule when possible.
The board’s vote clears the way for the district to proceed with interviews and a public phase of the search; the district’s next regular meeting will include updates on scheduling and related search tasks.
