Superintendent pool is down to three

The Cedar Grove-Belgium School Board narrowed its superintendent candidate pool from 26 to three Tuesday night.

The finalists include Saukville Elementary School Principal Chad Brakke of Port Washington, Howards Grove High School Principal Scott Fritz of Howards Grove, and Joseph Koch, Ph.D., deputy director of the School District of Waukesha, who lives in Waubeka.

Interviews will be held Monday. Board President Chad Hoopman said the board accelerated its schedule due to the number of superintendent openings.

“We have good finalists before us. We want to get out in front and ahead of the curve,” Hoopman said.

He said the board wants to move quickly but doesn’t expect an announcement of a top candidate at the monthly board meeting scheduled for Feb. 12.

The district is searching for a new superintendent after Jeanne Courneene retired in early fall due to family reasons.

Courneene, a former principal of the district’s middle school, was superintendent for five years. She spent 21 years in the district.

Claire Martin, a career educator who served as superintendent of the Chilton School District for nine years before retiring, is Cedar Grove-Belgium’s interim superintendent. She said she is not a candidate for the job.

The school board chose McPherson and Jacobson from a list of several search firms. The district is paying the firm about $10,900.

The firm led the board in a process to develop qualities it wants in its next leader and led similar sessions with staff, students and the selected community members and leaders.

The board hopes to choose a superintendent this month with the person starting work on July 1, the first day of the district’s fiscal year.