The Midway ISD board is preparing to interview five superintendent candidates

Trustees got to see the names of five superintendent candidates for the first time in a closed session Tuesday night, setting the stage for a series of interviews Friday through Sunday.

County spokeswoman Tracy Marlin said the five applicants were narrowed down from a pool of about 40 applicants.

The names of the five candidates will not be publicly released, Marlin said, but after the interviews, the board will select and announce the name of the sole finalist as early as Dec. 8 or at the regular school board meeting on Dec. 13.

In accordance with the Texas Public Information Act, the board must wait 21 days after the finalist is publicly announced before signing a contract to make it official.

Marlin said the board will review the candidates and their resumes during Tuesday’s meeting with the consulting group N2 Learning, which the district has hired to conduct the superintendent search.

N2 Learning’s consulting team consists of former College Station ISD Superintendent Eddie Coulson, along with Brad Lancaster, who served as Midway ISD’s superintendent from 2007 to 2011.

Coulson and Lancaster conducted a series of four focus groups and a ThoughtExchange survey in late October to create a candidate profile to shape their search, Marlin said. The assessments look not only at personal skills but also at the kinds of problems a new leader needs to be able to handle, she said.

The results of the ThoughtExchange survey, available at www.midwayisd.org, show the top responses from 377 participants. Many participants agreed that the ideal candidate should focus on student success and support teachers, should be genuine rather than political, and should have experience at all levels of education.

“The topics that were brought up inform the board of what they should be looking for in interviews,” Marlin said.

Kazanas will remain with the district through January, performing regular duties as needed and ensuring a smooth transition, Marlin said. Although he likely won’t be working at full capacity, she said Kazanas could preside over board meetings, sign contracts and perform other activities until the end of the month or until his successor is ready to step in.

Although a new superintendent could be hired by early January, Marlin said the start date is variable depending on the appointee, taking into account the time the candidate may need to make arrangements. If the chosen candidate is unable to start by the end of January, Marlin said the district will appoint an interim superintendent.

“As long as the new person can start in January, we won’t need an interim,” she said.