The four candidates are all retired superintendents; none is interested in succeeding outgoing Superintendent Marilyn Dominick.
Elbridge, NY – The Jordan-Elbridge school board is interviewing four candidates to serve as interim superintendent for the rest of the current school year.
The four candidates are all retired superintendents, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES Superintendent William Speck said at Wednesday night’s school board meeting, and none is interested in succeeding outgoing Superintendent Marilyn Dominick, who steps down at the end of this month. Speck is helping the board pick an interim as well as a successor to Dominick.
The board has appointed Speck as temporary interim superintendent until a full-time interim administrator is chosen.
Speck said he is the back-up to ensure that the district has a superintendent in charge after Dominick leaves.
The appointment came despite the threat of legal action by an anonymous group of district residents to block any interim appointment, void Dominick’s severance agreement with the district and reinstate her as superintendent.
The threatened lawsuit is the newest development in the shake-up among administrators that has rocked the school district. Two administrators have been suspended with pay, the district treasurer fired, another administrator transferred involuntarily and Dominick’s five-year contract terminated after three years.
The name of Sue Gorton, the district’s assistant superintendent for instruction, is not on the list of interim candidates.
Gorton had been in line for the interim position, but her appointment was tossed out in a court challenge filed by suspended high school Principal David Zehner. He contended her appointment was made illegally behind closed doors.
The four candidates under consideration for the interim position are:
• Larry Zacher, who has been superintendent in the Mayville and Whitesboro school districts. He has served as an interim superintendent in eight school districts.
• Fred Thomsen, a former superintendent in the Fabius-Pompey and East Syracuse-Minoa school districts. He was also interim superintendent in Cortland in 2006.
• Gordon Klumpp, who spent more than 30 years as principal and superintendent in the Groton school district and was interim superintendent in the Moravia school district. He has also served in a number of other administrative posts.
• Joseph Coleman, who was Lafayette High School principal and later returned to the district as superintendent. He has also held several other administrative posts.
Speck said he will also work with the board to find a superintendent to replace Dominick.
Speck told the meeting that he expects to winnow the field of possible successors to 12 finalists, from which the board will select four candidates. Those candidates will then meet with representatives of the community, district teachers and administrators.
If all goes according to plan, Speck said, a new superintendent will assume the position in June.
Reach John Stith at jstith@syracuse.com or 251-5718.