PERRYVILLE NARROWS TO THREE SEARCH FOR NEW SUPERINTENDENT

PERRYVILLE -- And then there were three.

After months of collecting 30 resumes and cover letters, the Perry County School District board has narrowed its search for a new superintendent to three candidates.

The candidates include Dan Roe of Pittsburg, Kan., Rex Miller of Westphalia and Dan Tallent of Cape Girardeau. Tallent, who is principal at Cape Girardeau Central High School, announced his resignation last month. He will leave the district at the end of the school year.

Each will meet with school administrators, teachers and community leaders Jan. 8-10.

When Ron Fitch, Perryville's superintendent, announced his resignation last fall, the school board hired a consultant to help with the search for a replacement.

The board hired the same consultant firm during the search that it used when Fitch was hired five years ago, said Orville Schaefer, school board president.

"We went over the application and narrowed it to eight," he said, adding that two of the applicants withdrew their names before interviews began. The board then conducted some preliminary interviews and narrowed its list even more.

Perryville residents, community leaders and school staff will have the opportunity to meet each candidate during open interviews Jan. 8-10. Each candidate will visit the school and meet with staff before a community forum at 7:30 each night. The forums will be held in the senior-high-school library.

"We will get input from the staff and see how they (candidates) answer questions and how well they stand up under the pressure," Schaefer said.

During its four-month search, the board looked for candidates with experience as superintendent in a similar-sized district. It found such a candidate in Roe, who has been assistant superintendent of schools in Pittsburg, Kan., since 1993. Roe previously was superintendent in the Lebanon district for four years and also in Iowa for seven years.

He comes from a district of comparable size, with about 2,800 students, Schaefer said, adding that Perryville has about 2,300 students in its school district.

He will visit the schools Jan. 8 for a breakfast and luncheon with city leaders and a community forum at 7:30 p.m. Miller will visit Jan. 9 and Tallent will arrive Jan. 10. Both will have similar schedules.

The second candidate, Miller, also has several years experience as a superintendent. For the past two years, he has been superintendent at Osage County schools in Westphalia. He formerly worked in the South Callaway and Wheaton school districts as superintendent.

Neither could be reached at their homes Wednesday afternoon.

Tallent is no stranger to the Perry County School District. He served as an assistant principal there for one year before taking a job as superintendent at the Meadow Heights School District in Patton. After two years in the Cape Girardeau district, he will leave his job as principal.

"It's nice to look at a district where they are working together to make the schools better," Tallent said, adding that Perryville has made some improvements to its buildings and programs in the last few years.

"Any time you are interviewing there is a little apprehension," he said. "But it's always enjoyable to visit and see what direction people would like their schools to take and interject your own ideas."

The next scheduled board meeting is Jan. 17 and the board could make its announcement then, Schaefer said.