TWO NAMED FINALISTS FOR SUPERINTENDENT; CANDIDATES WILL MEET WITH PUBLIC NEXT WEEK

Superintendents at two Missouri school districts have been named finalists for the top school job in Cape Girardeau.

Dan Steska, superintendent at Arcadia Valley R-II District in Iron County, and David G. Smith, superintendent at Excelsior Springs District near Kansas City, will be in Cape Girardeau next week to meet with faculty, staff and the public.

Smith will visit Cape Girardeau Monday; Steska will visit Tuesday.

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education plans to offer the job to one of the finalists at its Dec. 21 meeting.

Superintendent Dan Tallent will resign June 30, and the school board plans to hire a superintendent by the end of December.

Smith leads the Excelsior Springs district, with 3,245 students, 233 staff members and an operating budget of $18 million. He has been superintendent of the district since 1994. He was superintendent at Harrisonville-Cass R-9 from 1988 to 1994, assistant superintendent at Sedalia from 1986 to 1988 and director of human resources in the Newton School District from 1984 to 1986.

Steska leads the Arcadia Valley district, with 1,256 students, 123 staff members and an operating budget of $10 million. Steska served at Arcadia Valley first as assistant superintendent and then superintendent since 1996. From 1972 to 1996 Steska worked at Perryville schools, where he was an English teacher, assistant principal and principal.

The agenda for both finalists' visits is the same.

At 10:45 a.m., they will meet with district administrators.

At noon, they will meet with the Board of Education.

At 1 p.m., they will visit schools and buildings.

At 3 p.m., they will meet with secondary teachers and staff in the junior high school cafeteria.

At 4 p.m., they will meet with elementary teachers and staff.

A public forum is scheduled for 5 p.m., followed by a closed meeting at 6:30 with the school board at Celebrations.

School board president Dr. Ferrell Ervin said the board is looking for someone who fits with the Cape Girardeau community.

"We also are looking for someone who had demonstrated curricular innovation and a strong grasp of the budget issues," he said.

In addition to the visits, the school board is conducting background checks, and two-member teams from the school board will visit the hometowns of both candidates.

Visits by board members to the candidates' hometowns are important to the selection process, Ervin said.

"We recognize there are a lot of different constituents in each of the cities that should be tapped for information," Ervin said. "We want to make sure we have adequate information to base our judgment on."

The Cape Girardeau district is larger than Excelsior Springs, which would give Smith more opportunities as an administrator.

Smith said he liked the district's master plan and recognized the effort to "take care of some facilities issues. The culture is dedicated to the best interest of the students."

Arcadia Valley is quite a bit smaller than Cape Girardeau, but Steska said he has experience with a larger school district, Perryville. He worked 24 years there.

Steska attended Southeast Missouri State University and is familiar with Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri.

Steska said the relationship between a superintendent and the board of education is very important.

"The interview with the school board was very pleasant, and I think I could develop a very cooperative and enjoyable relationship with these individuals," Steska said.

The fact Cape Girardeau voters approved a bond issue to build new schools appealed to Steska.

"It's a very positive reflection on the support of the community," he said. "The community wants to see the schools progress."

"I am familiar with the district's master plan and realize that a lot of effort has been invested in that by the school and the community," he said. "I am looking forward to becoming part of that."

Steska said he enjoys working with people.

"I feel that I'm receptive and approachable," he said, "and I think the bottom line is I want what's best for kids in the community. I think the staff and community feel the same way."

Steska said he has been happy at Arcadia Valley but is looking for a career advancement.