AURORA | The Aurora Public Schools District Board of Education has named four finalists to replace John Barry as superintendent in July, choosing among regional educators.
The candidates are: Tracy Dorland, the executive director for teacher effectiveness at Denver Public Schools; John Randal (Randy) Johnson, an instructional superintendent at DPS; Thomas Seigel, superintendent at Bethel School District in Washington and former Boulder Valley School District superintendent; and Rico Munn, a lawyer, faculty member at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and former executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
The announcement followed an hourlong executive session held March 25 at the district’s Professional Learning and Conference Center. The list was approved unanimously by board President JulieMarie Shepherd and members Dan Jorgensen, Mary Lewis, Jeanette Carmany, Matthew Cook, Jane Barber and Cathy Wildman.
All of the finalists will interview with the board and community groups finalized by the district. The Colorado Association of School Boards is helping the search.
Initial media meetings with the candidates are scheduled for April 5, followed by a longer interview from 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on April 6 at Gateway High School, 1300 S. Sable Blvd. The meetings on April 6 will be open to the public.
The new superintendent may start before the beginning of the 2013-14 school year in August.
Last year, Barry, who started as APS superintendent in July 2006, said he will leave before his contract expires so that the current board can choose his successor. Because of term expirations and limits, the board could change by as many as four members after its election in 2013. Barry, whose contract ends in 2014, said he wanted the current iteration of the board to pick the next APS superintendent.
APS released the following statement regarding the search for a new superintendent:
The Aurora Public Schools Board of Education is releasing the names of four finalists for the position of Superintendent of Schools. The finalists include Tracy Ann Dorland, John Randal (Randy) Johnson, D. Rico Munn, and Thomas G. Seigel. The new APS superintendent will start on July 1, 2013.
Using screening criteria established through focus groups and a survey of staff, students, parents and community members, the board selected the finalists. All finalists will visit Aurora on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6. The visit will include a tour of the school district and interviews conducted by the board and two committees including staff, students, parents and community members.
The board would like to thank APS staff, students, parents and community members for their involvement in this process. Selecting the next superintendent is important to everyone in the APS community to ensure a successful future for Aurora Public Schools and all students.
Colorado Association of School Boards, an organization that serves locally elected school boards across the state, is assisting the APS Board of Education with the superintendent search and has provided the following information on each finalist.
Tracy Ann Dorland
Dorland is Deputy Chief Academic Officer for Teaching and Learning for Denver Public schools where she provides executive leadership for DPS academic departments, district-wide strategy for transition to the Common Core State Standards, and integration of the DPS educator effectiveness system. She was Executive Director, Educator Effectiveness for DPS from 2010-2012 and Instructional Superintendent for DPS from 2006-2010. She was principal of Smedley Elementary School and assistant principal of Oakland Elementary School, both in DPS, and has been a literacy coach and classroom teacher. She serves on the Colorado State Council for Educator Effectiveness. Dorland holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, both from the University of Colorado.
John Randal (Randy) Johnson
Johnson is currently Instructional Superintendent, Secondary, for Denver Public Schools where he is responsible for the performance of secondary schools and supervises high school principals. He served as Deputy Director of Post-Secondary Readiness for DPS from 2009-2010 and high school principal of Career Education Center – Middle College of Denver, a career and technical magnet high school in DPS, from 2008-2009. His other experience includes Director of Secondary Education in Falcon School District 49 in Colorado Springs and several administrative and teaching positions in Colorado and New Mexico. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English/Religion, a Master of Education in Secondary Education/English, and a Master of Arts in English, all from Eastern New Mexico University.
D. Rico Munn
Munn is a litigation partner at Baker and Hostetler, LLP, and is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He serves on the 15-member Board of Governors for the Colorado State University System, appointed by Gov. John Hickenlooper. Munn was a member of Gov. Bill Ritter’s cabinet as executive director of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies from 2007-2009 and then executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education from 2009-2011. He served on the Colorado State Board of Education from 2003-2007. Munn also was a member of the Strategic Planning Task force for Amnesty International. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education and Social Sciences from Midland University in Fremont, Neb., and his law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
Thomas G. Seigel
Seigel was superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District from 1997-2000, and has been superintendent of the 18,000-student Bethel School District #403, in Spanaway, Wash., since 2001. He has a long military career including Principle Engineer, Space Operations Division, SRS Technologies Colorado Springs, CO from 2000-2001, Deputy Chief, United States Space Command’s Joint Space Support Team for U.S. European Command and U.S. Transportation Command, 1994-97, and Deputy Chief of U.S. Space Command’s Joint Space Support Teams, 1993-94. Seigel holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Moorhead State College in Moorhead, Minn. He has earned masters degrees in National Security Affairs and Strategic Studies, International Relations and National Security Affairs, and he is a doctoral candidate in Public Administration at the University of Colorado at Denver.
Interesting finalists, one wonders why Denver is so well represented when the state of the Denver School System is froth wint problems.