Bellevue School Board Outlines Speedy Superintendent Interview Process For Enfield

Bellevue superintendent candidate Susan Enfield, currently temporary superintendent for Seattle Public Schools, could go through a three-day gantlet of interviews and forums with teachers, Bellevue district staff, parents, community members, after the school board outlined a fast track process to consider her as a replacement for three-year Superintendent Amalia Cudeiro.

The board met at a special meeting Thursday night to consider how they would conduct , who had been one of the finalists in 2009 when the school district hired Cudeiro to replace longtime Superintendent Mike Riley. They plan to meet again Monday to create a list of questions and a community feedback form.

The district also is on a tight timeline after Superintendent Amalia Cudeiro submitted her resignation last month, citing her . Many school districts with superintendent openings have been searching since last fall.

Bellevue school board members say they hope to avoid a year and a half under temporary leadership.

"Next year we hope to start with the right person," said board president Paul Mills.

Enfield's candidacy was put on the fast track because she is being considered to be a superintendent in other districts. Highline Public Schools in Burien is holding community forums with her today. Highline plans to make a decision on its new superintendent by next Thursday. Enfield has said that she does not want to head Seattle Public Schools permanently.

Bellevue's plan for Enfield includes convening a 14-member panel including parents, teachers and others to observe Enfield throughout the process and a decision could come on the third day.

However, no interview day was set Thursday night.

The district voted 3-1-1 last week to offer Enfield an accelerated interview process, after a week of listening to community input on what they wanted in a superintendent, with board member Steve McConnell voting against and board member Christine Chew abstaining.

However, it was McConnell and Chew who presented much of the details of a proposed accelerated process, which included many of the new concerns from the community that didn't emerge in 2008 during the search for Riley's replacement, such as a heightened concern for diversity and ensuring fair access to school programs.

"We're doing what we can to make sure we make a high quality decision under some time constraints," McConnell said after the meeting.

While some board members hoped to use the same process for any future superintendent candidates, Chew said she would like to revisit and reconsider the accelerated process depending on whether Enfield is hired in Highline.

Bellevue board member Chris Marks told the audience at the Thursday meeting that Enfield has not pressured Bellevue into rushing into a process, but the board wants the chance to consider her before the opportunity slips away.

"We would not be considering her if we hadn't vetted her so thoroughly before," Marks said after the meeting.

Mills said that they felt comfortable considering Enfield a second time and forgoing the use of a search firm because she had already been screened in 2008.

With other applicants, a search firm might be employed for background checking job candidates and organizing and arranging the interview process, he said. Seven people have applied for the job, Mills said.