Board selects six candidates for superintendent first-round interviews

The Board of Education met in special session on June 12, 2026, to begin its superintendent search, reviewed 24 anonymous applications in closed session and voted to invite six candidates for first-round interviews.

John Silveri of the Michigan Leadership Institute briefed the board on the process before the closed session, saying members would receive a spreadsheet with 24 applicants identified only by letter to protect anonymity and that the closed session was for information only, not deliberation. At 5:35 p.m. the board entered closed session to review those materials and returned to open session at 7:56 p.m.

After reconvening, each board member announced which letter-designated candidates they wanted to invite. Mr. Silveri tallied the responses and reported letter totals (A=6, B=5, E=7, D=2, H=1, I=7, N=5, P=1) and identified the top five by score as A, B, E, I and N. Board member Katherine Rice moved to approve the five top-scoring candidates; Trustee Boyer seconded the motion. President Rachel Eichhorst then moved to amend the motion to include candidate D as well; Trustee Cichocki supported the amendment. The amendment passed unanimously on roll call (7 Ayes, 0 Nays). The board therefore approved inviting six candidates to first-round interviews.

Mr. Silveri then announced the six individuals the board will invite to interview: Eric Kausch, Middle School Principal, Warren Consolidated Schools; Joseph McDonald, Director of Secondary Education, Anchor Bay School District; Amy Nelson, Superintendent, Capac Community Schools; Arthur Ebert, Superintendent, Sturgis Public Schools; Jordan Ackerman, Superintendent, Reese Public Schools; and Kurt Sutton, Superintendent, Yale Public Schools.

Board members next discussed interview preparation and logistics. They agreed to select three questions from each question category and to use question #1 from the "Opening Questions" set. The board recorded a specific list of question numbers to be asked across categories (opening; district relations; political awareness; leadership attributes; instruction and curriculum; finances; staff and personnel). The board settled table set-up for the interviews and discussed collecting feedback via a QR code. Mr. Silveri clarified that the institute would format the questions and distribute them in advance, and he noted that the institute would not provide a scoring rubric; board members may take notes or create their own rubric during interviews.

Formal votes recorded during the meeting include approval of the meeting agenda at the outset, a unanimous vote to enter closed session at 5:35 p.m. to review confidential applications, unanimous approval of the amended motion to invite six candidates for interviews, and unanimous adjournment at 8:45 p.m.

Next steps: the institute will format and distribute the interview questions in advance, and the board will schedule first-round interviews with the six named candidates. No interview dates or times were specified in the meeting record.