FINALISTS: MEET CAPE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT CANDIDATES

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education will hold public forums next week to meet finalists for school district superintendent.

However, the board doesn't know yet who those finalists will be.

The board met Monday, Tuesday and is scheduled to meet tonight in closed session to review applicants and select two or three finalists.

"More formal interviews will be held Monday and Tuesday," said School board president Dr. R. Ferrell Ervin.

Public forums are scheduled at 5 p.m. Monday for the first finalist and at 5 p.m. Tuesday for the second finalist at the Central Junior High School cafeteria. Anyone may attend and ask questions.

Prior to the public forums, meetings are set with staff members. The secondary staff will meet at 3 p.m. each day, and the elementary staff at 4 p.m. each day, also at the junior high cafeteria.

"They will have toured Cape and visited some of the buildings by that time," Ervin said.

Cape Girardeau Superintendent Dan Tallent will leave the school district's top post June 30. The board hopes to offer the job to someone before Christmas.

In November, 18 candidates submitted the required paperwork to advance to the next step in the selection process.

The candidates are from this region or are individuals who have a Missouri connection, Ervin said.

The school board is working with the Missouri School Boards Association in conducting the superintendent search. Applicants sent resume information to the MSBA, which checked for accuracy. The association forwarded to the Cape Girardeau board.

In September the MSBA held discussions locally to determine what qualifications and qualities are desirable for the school's leader. Those criteria are being used to evaluate candidates.