In its 4.5-hour board meeting held on the October 12, the Mineral County School District decided to name current Hawthorne Elementary School Principal Stephanie Keuhey as interim superintendent. Both Keuhey and MCHS Principal Jeff Wales submitted their letters of interest to the board in early October for the position following Andre Ponder’s resignation, and the MCSD Trustees held a public board meeting last week to interview the candidates and discuss how to proceed.
After two-and-a-half hours of the candidates interviewing and public comment, the Board then moved to item two on the agenda about selecting an applicant. President Keith Neville felt that the Board needed more time to put together a salary, job description, and budget for the next superintendent. The Board’s legal counsel assured them that if they wanted to move quickly on filling that role then they could select the candidate and start engaging in those conversations before entering into a contract.
“No matter who we select tonight, it’s going to create a ripple effect at every level of this district,” VP Tyler Viani said.
The Board then discussed if it would be feasible to have both Keuhey and Wales share responsibility of the superintendent role, how long they should be in the role, and if taking a principal away from their current position would be hurting their school. Board Member Candice Birchum remembers an acting superintendent/principal at Schurz Elementary and said that when that transition occurred, “everything just went downhill”.
Even Acting Superintendent Andre Ponder got up and spoke, saying, “I’ve heard a lot of things that were presented tonight and one thing that came to mind is that you kind of want to mirror [a few of the processes of] when I stood up here 14 months ago and was being interviewed. And one thing [that was done] before my interview was have a conversation with my references. One of them was my immediate supervisor.
“And as the immediate supervisor of both candidates, I would maybe like to have a conversation with the board and do believe that my voice should mean something. Something that came up tonight was that maybe we should split the wages. In all fairness, Ms. Keuhey brings a lot to the table and Mr. Wales brings a lot to the table. And if you split the roles, it still gives them the opportunity to have oversight over the other schools as well. I’m willing to stay on and help develop a plan.”
Viani then said that he’s been on both sides of the district, and he’s noticed a difference in how people lead, coach, and mentor in the superintendent versus principal position.
“The struggle I have is what Candice says, no matter which way we go we’re pulling an administrator from another school because it is not sustainable to have someone full time. I think both candidates have a similar plan and are willing to step into that interim. Same at the elementary, I think there are teachers who are willing to step up and handle that role,” he says.
Then in a quick turn of events, Board Clerk Juanita Diede said that she had been in heavy arguments with both candidates regarding the education of her children and said, “one of them completely failed my child and the other fought alongside me to make things right. I believe that Ms. Keuhey is right for the job.”
Following Diede’s comment, Mr. Wales withdrew his application and interest in being the interim superintendent.
After a quick moment of silence, the Board continued the conversation, talking about its role in supporting the superintendent.
While in the audience, Ms. Keuhey said, “[The superintendent does] need to feel comfortable coming to you guys. I have been working with you for 13 years; a few of you got on the board just to get rid of me. And then you realized that I did my job. It’s okay, we’re not always going to agree on things.
“If we’re all doing our jobs then it shouldn’t be a problem, but if there is a problem then it’s the job of the superintendent to come to the board and say, ‘Hey, this isn’t working’. Put it on the agenda, let’s talk about it and discuss options. But I think you need to take a stand one way or another to move forward.”
At that, Diede put forth a motion to name Ms. Keuhey as interim superintendent and it was approved in a 3-2 vote.
In her 12-year tenure as principal of Hawthorne Elementary School, Keuhey has worked under five different superintendents and eight other principals between the junior high/high schools and Schurz Elementary School.
“The high turnover rate in administration across the district is one of the largest issues holding MCSD back from developing collective efficacy and climbing to the top,” Keuhey stated in her Letter of Interest.
As it was nearing 9 p.m., the Board agreed to table items three and five on the agenda regarding the length of time the interim superintendent would serve, her job description, salary, and goals. The next MCSD Board of Trustees Meeting was held on October 18 with items on the agenda to discuss the grievances Ponder filed against the district related to his resignation.
