5J board appoints screening committee

A screening committee of school district staff and community residents will include everyone who applied for the volunteer positions.

Directors Ginger Savage and Lynne Burroughs agreed during a Tuesday night work session to invite all who expressed interest in serving to attend a March 16 meeting at Baker High School. The group will be trained by Oregon School Boards Association consultant Forrest Bell during a mandatory meeting from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the BHS computer room. Those who cannot attend the training will be cut from the screening committee.

• Community members — Cherrie Carlson-Conklin, Debbie Poe and Glenn Timm.

• District administrators — Troy Fisher, Brooklyn Primary School and kindergarten principal; Anthony Johnson, district curriculum director; Gwen O’Neal, BHS assistant principal; and Betty Palmer, South Baker Intermediate School principal.

• Certified staff — Adriene Bachman, BHS social studies teacher; Sharon Defrees, BHS science teacher; Dave Johnson, BHS math teacher; and Julie Stout, South Baker reading specialist.

• Classified staff — Sandy Harper, South Baker secretary; Deb Stuchlik, BHS secretary; and Nicole Hellbusch, Baker Middle School instructional assistant.

• District office staff — Jean Dean, Food Services cook/manager; and Linda Honeywell, Special Education secretary.

Bell will instruct committee members on confidentiality and other requirements of the screening process. The volunteers will be able to work from their home computers and are expected to complete the process March 16-31.

Once the paperwork screening is completed, the committee will forward its recommendations to the board, which will then proceed with the hiring process. The committee’s work will be finished at that point.

The board plans to conduct interviews and select finalists April 5-9. Directors will visit finalists’ home districts and conduct more in-depth background checks April 12-16. A second interview and possible community forum is set for April 22 when the board also is scheduled to select its top candidates. The board hopes to hire the new superintendent by the end of April to begin working July 1.

Superintendent Don Ulrey has announced his resignation, effective April 29.