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School Board poised to pick interim superintendent Monday

Published 2:30 pm Friday, August 3, 2018

By Alex McCarthy

Dr. Mark Miller, superintendent for the Juneau School District, gives an overview of the district’s budget at the Juneau Chamber of Commerce’s weekly luncheon at the Moose Lodge on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. Appearing with Miller are Brian Holst, school board president, left, Ted Wilson, Director of Teaching and Learning, center, and Bridget Weiss, Director of Student Services, right. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Dr. Mark Miller, superintendent for the Juneau School District, gives an overview of the district’s budget at the Juneau Chamber of Commerce’s weekly luncheon at the Moose Lodge on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. Appearing with Miller are Brian Holst, school board president, left, Ted Wilson, Director of Teaching and Learning, center, and Bridget Weiss, Director of Student Services, right. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Less than two weeks after Juneau School District Superintendent Mark Miller’s resignation, the Board of Education is going to name his replacement.

The board will hold a special meeting this coming Monday, according to an announcement, to hire an interim superintendent. The meeting will take place at 5 p.m. Monday in room 206 at Juneau-Douglas High School. This interim superintendent will serve in that role through this coming school year, the board members decided at a special meeting July 27.

Three internal candidates were introduced to the public Thursday: Thunder Mountain High School Principal Dan Larson, Director of Student Services Bridget Weiss and Dzantik’i Heeni Principal Molly Yerkes. Jessica Richmond, an administrative assistant at the superintendent’s office, said those are still the three candidates for the position.

Miller’s last day is Aug. 15 and the school year starts Aug. 20, so the board members wanted to move quickly to select this interim superintendent. Selecting the person Monday will allow them two weeks to prepare before the school year starts, and will ease the transition between Miller and them. Richmond said the interim superintendent will start as soon as Miller leaves.

The original plan, as outlined at the July 27 meeting, was to begin interviews Aug. 6, but the process moved even faster than planned. Richmond said the interviews took place Thursday night.

After this school year, the board will go through a full job search, the board members agreed at their July 27 meeting. Miller is taking a job at Sonora High School District in Sonora, California, which is closer to his family and where he’s spent most of his life.

• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.

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