PUBLIC TO MEET SUPERINTENDENT FINALISTS

Cape Girardeau's Board of Education has settled on two finalists to lead the district. Dan Tallent, who has filled the superintendent job with distinction these past two and a half years, will leave in June.

The two finalists come from districts of differing sizes.

-- Dan Steska leads the Arcadia Valley School District in Iron County. It serves 1,256 students with 123 staff members and a budget of $10 million. But Steska also worked 24 years with the Perryville public schools.

-- David Smith is superintendent at Excelsior Springs School District. His district serves 3,245 students with a staff of 233 and an operating budget of $18 million.

Now it's your turn.

Public input will be crucial to aiding the school board in this critical decision.

The two candidates will visit Cape Girardeau on Monday and Tuesday. They will meet with staff, administrators, board members and the public.

Smith will visit Monday, Steska on Tuesday. The board plans to offer the job to one of these men by its Dec. 21 meeting.

On both Monday and Tuesday, public forums with the candidates are scheduled at 5 p.m. I certainly would be worth your while to leave work a little early those days.

Meet these men. Ask your own questions. Judge for yourself. And then forward your comments to the school board.

Over the years, the Cape Girardeau's public schools have had good superintendents and some that weren't so good. An effective leader makes a tremendous difference in the morale of staff, smooth operations of the district and public relations with parents and the community. A flawed leader can be a real headache for everyone.

In addition to the local visits of the finalists, several school board members will be making visits of their own. Two-member teams will visit the finalists' home towns. Team members will be expected to take a hard look at those communities and listen both to both supporters and critics. It's important to find someone who fits well with the Cape Girardeau community.

Both Jackson and Perryville schools are also seeking new leaders. It is possible that candidates applied for all three jobs. No doubt the other districts are paying close attention to Cape Girardeau's superintendent search.

So should the public.