SCHOOL BOARD TRIMS LIST OF 40 CANDIDATES TO 3

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The field of candidates for a Cape Girardeau Public Schools superintendent has been narrowed to three following three days of interviews by members of the Board of Education.

Board member Ed Thompson, who is co-chairman of the superintendent search, said the names of the finalists would probably be released today.

"We are not able to give the names of the finalists until we have reached them all to make sure they are still interested in the position," Thompson said.

"We have no indication that they are not still interested, but we just want to be sure."

He said not all the finalists could be reached by telephone late Sunday.

The school board interviewed five semi-finalists in St. Louis and narrowed the field to three. A total of 40 candidates applied for the position.

The board hopes to select a new superintendent by April 1. Current superintendent Arthur Turner's contract runs out June 30.

"We had some excellent candidates," Thompson said. "I was really impressed. We had people from three states. They all had their doctorate in education or some other field."

He said the semifinalists were also either superintendents or assistant superintendents. He added all the finalists are men, and have families with school-age children.

"We're looking for someone to light a fire under education in this community," Thompson said. "We're looking for the best person for the job and someone who fits Cape Girardeau.

"I think the people we have narrowed down as finalists all would fit in Cape Girardeau."

Interviews began Friday at 6:30 p.m. and board members left St. Louis at 1 p.m. Sunday.

"Each interview was about three hours long," Thompson said. "The interviews were very interesting. We got an education just listening to the candidates.

"They have really wonderful ideas on education, ideas we never thought about," he continued. "It gave us an opportunity to learn what's going on in other schools."

Thompson said he believes the board is looking for "a people-type person."

He added, "We need someone who is really open to the public and accessible to the public.

"Everyone we interviewed had ideas and plans. They also said they like what they learned about Cape from the questions they had asked in researching the position."

W. Deane Wiley, consultant handling the superintendent search, is in the process of scheduling visits by all the finalists to the city.

Each of the finalists will come to Cape Girardeau for interviews. "I think what we will probably do is have them meet with administrators, teachers and then have a town meeting for anybody to ask questions.

"That way everybody gets a shot at them," Thompson said. "We want to see how they react and perform under fire. But I'm confident they will handle themselves well.

"The fact is, I think the choice will be tough."