Douglas County School Board chooses superintendent finalists…again
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Wed, 05/22/2024 - 8:45am
During their hours-long meeting Tuesday evening, the Douglas County School Board chose three of the six superintendent candidates to move forward into the interview process.
The previous superintendent select ended up not being offered a contract following public outcry after it was revealed he had a criminal and mismanagement history from multiple other school districts.
Following the decision to not move forward with their selection, the board then moved to offer the position to Acting Superintendent Jeanne Dwyer. However, because it was not agendized properly, the decision had to be voided. When it was brought back properly, the board majority of David Burns, Katherine Dickerson, Susan Jansen and Doug Englekirk changed their decisions and voted not to offer her the position.
Burns said he’d been “blindsided” before and had made his decision in haste which he regretted afterward. Dickerson said it would only be fair to interview others who have been “standing in line.”
Dwyer took over for former superintendent Keith Lewis after he was ousted by the board after nearly 30 years of service to the district. While acting as superintendent, Dwyer has also been continuing to work in her positions as the Director of Inclusive Education and Human Resources, as well as the additional responsibility of Board Clerk.
The board instead voted to move forward and accept applications from other candidates.
During discussions Tuesday, Trustee Yvonne Wagstaff stated that if any of the candidates did not have an overall score above 80 percent, they should continue their search, or hire Dwyer.
"If we want our kids to be better we need to show them better,” Wagstaff said. She said that their previously selected candidate only scored in the low 60s which to her was unacceptable.
However, Trustee Susan Jansen said because the screening tools are subjective, not objective, they’re never going to have a consensus.
“I just don’t see it happening,” Trustee Doug Englekirk echoed.
Six candidates were evaluated for the position, and after a screening tool and a round of discussions, the board decided to move forward with their top three candidates.
Candidates
- Angelo Alvarado
Angelo Alvarado is currently serving as the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for the Ukiah Unified School District in Ukiah, Calif. He has held the position for one year. Prior to this he served for four years as a Middle School Principal, Director of HR, and Elementary School Principal for the Mammoth Unified School District; an Assistant Principal within the Ontario Montclair School District for two years; and a Coordinator of Special Education with the Sequoia Union High School District for 11 months.
He received his Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of La Verne in Education. He currently holds a license in Administrative Services, but does not hold any Nevada licensures.
“One of my many strengths is building trusting relationships with the entire school community,” his application reads. “I am a clear and concise communicator that treats all school community members with respect, empathy, and professionalism. I implement policy and procedure with fidelity in the best interest of students. I utilize the continuous improvement cycle, data, metrics for determining effectiveness, and a strengths-based approach for school improvement. I understand the importance of valuing the difference of professional opinions and I appreciate dialogue that leads to professional growth.”
His full application can be viewed here.
- Patrick Peters
Patrick Peters is a Douglas County High School graduate who currently serves as Principal of Silver Stage High School in Silver Springs, a position in which he has served 19 years. Prior to this he served three years as the assistant principal, and a teacher at Silver Stage Middle School for eight years, as well as a basketball coach.
He received his Bachelors in Business from Sonoma State University, his teaching credential from Sierra Nevada College, and his Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix. He currently holds a Nevada teaching license and has a number of educational awards both personally and for his school.
“My career path has included student teaching in Kindergarten at Bijou Elementary School and 6th grade at Jacks Valley Elementary School, then working as a paraprofessional, middle school teacher, high school assistant principal and my last 19 years as the proud principal of Silver Stage High School,” his application reads. “These roles have given me different educational experiences that make me highly qualified for the position of Douglas County School District Superintendent. I have had HR experience in my administrative role, supervising the Silver Springs transportation yard as well as working through different HR due process investigations and mediations with school staff. I have led high school accreditation teams in various Nevada school districts, mentoring administrators with the process and then leading the teams to analyze school data and determine accreditation outcomes.”
You can read his full application here.
- Louise Simson
Louise Simson currently serves as Superintendent of Anderson Valley Unified School District in Boonville, Calif. which she has held for three years. Prior to that she served as the Assistant Superintendent and Principal of Vallecito Union School District in Avery, Calif., for three years. Before that she held the position of Special Education Teacher in the San Matteo Foster City School District in Foster City, Calif., for two years.
She holds a Bachelors and Masters in Human Services and Special Education from Notre Dame de Namur University. She currently does not hold licensures in Nevada but does hold a licensure as an Education Specialist in California.
“For the past six years, I have served students and the community in rural settings with a driving belief that all students deserve educational equity no matter their zip code. Our job is to expand academics, social/emotional learning, athletics, experiential travel opportunities and the arts to ensure students are well-rounded individuals prepared for college and career,” her application reads. “I have a proven track record of building relationships with students, boards, families, communities and educational partners to make great things happen for kids. I am a transparent and steadfast communicator, a visionary who believes everything is possible, and an incredibly relentless hard-worker that gets the impossible done.”
You can read her full application here.
Moving forward, a meet and greet will be held for the community to meet each candidate on June 10, followed by a June 11 board meeting during which interviews will be held. Each trustee will ask candidates two questions as part of the interview process.
