The School Board completed six preliminary interviews earlier this week with a strong pool of candidates. After reviewing their application materials and their interviews, the Board selected four finalists for the position of Shorewood School District Superintendent:
Tabia Jones has been the CEO and President of St. Joseph’s Academy since 2017. Prior to that, she was the Director of Curriculum and Instruction in the Shorewood School District for three years. Tabia earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Stephen Plank is currently the Superintendent of Burlington School District since 2019, and was previously a principal at Middleton High School. Stephen has a doctorate in Administrative Leadership from Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois.
Kurt Schneider has been Superintendent of the Northern Suburban Special Education District #804, a consortium of 18 school districts in the northern Chicago suburbs for six years. He was previously Assistant Superintendent for Learning (Pupil Services/Curriculum & Instruction) in District #181 in Hinsdale, Illinois for four years. Kurt earned his Ph.D. from UW-Madison.
Quynh Trueblood served as the Superintendent of Kohler School District for eight years, and is currently a faculty lecturer/administrator at Edgewood College. Quynh has a Ph.D. in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service from Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Finalist Interviews
These four finalists are being invited to a full-day District visit during the week of January 30 (see schedule below). During their time with us, each finalist will tour all four of our schools; interact with our building principals, teachers, administrative/support staff and student representatives from secondary schools; and participate in interviews with panelists who represent our staff, students, parents and community members.
Staff/Community/Student Forum
Each candidate will also participate in a public forum at the end of their designated interview day, from 5-6pm in the High School Library Media Center. Please note, the forums will be held in-person only and will be moderated by School Exec Connect, the District’s search consultant. Everyone is welcome to attend and RSVPs are not required.
During the forum, candidates will make a brief, introductory presentation, and then answer questions presented by the forum moderator; all finalists will answer a uniform set of questions. If you would like to submit a candidate question for consideration, please send it by email to Jack Linehan at [email protected]. All submissions are due by 9 am on Friday, January 27, 2023.
Finalist Interview Schedule:
Monday, January 30, 2023 - Dr. Tabia Jones
Tuesday, January 31, 2023 - Dr. Quynh Trueblood
Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - Dr. Stephen Plank
Thursday, February 2, 2023 - Dr. Kurt Schneider
All individuals who interact with any of our finalists (including those who attend a forum) will be invited to complete a short online questionnaire afterwards. Responses to this questionnaire will help inform the School Board of our community’s thoughts and perspectives regarding each candidate. The link to the questionnaire will be provided at each forum.
Thank you for your engagement and ongoing support as we work to identify and secure the best candidate for the position of Shorewood School District Superintendent. We look forward to introducing our new superintendent to the community next month!