The Devils Lake School Board held a special meeting early Monday morning, July 10, to review the applications received for the superintendent postion.
Current superintendent, Matt Bakke, has asked to be released from his contract with the school district for “medical and personal” reasons. He has assured the School Board that he will not leave the district before a replacement for his position is found.
At the Tuesday, June 20 School Board meeting it was decided to table accepting Bakke’s resignation and to advertise for the superintendent postion for at least two weeks, to see what kind of response they could get.
By that date, Friday, July 7, they had received three applications from qualified individuals: Cheryl Peterson from Grand Forks, superintendent at Drayton, ND; Jay Slade who is currently superintendent at Dakota Prairie; and Ned Clooten who is principal at Wahpeton.
Interviews of these candidates will be this Friday, July 14 afternoon and Monday, July 17, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Kim Krogfoss, principal at the Minnie H Kindergarden Center, will chair a committee of district staff representatives to assist with the interviews. Each of the candidates will be interviewed by that committee and the DL School Board separately, then they will bring their recommendations together at a meeting Wednesday morning, July 19, at 7 a.m. to make a decision.
The meeting concluded with Bakke renewing his request for the board to accept his resignation, however, President Cory Meyer echoed the consensus that they table that request until a replacement is in place, perhaps until as late as Sept. 1, to make the transition as seamless as possible. “The best for the district.”
The final decision of this meeting was the board voting unanimously for the motion made by Steve Halldorson to table accepting Bakke’s resignation until his replacement is in place, making it official.
