Candidates to interview for Red Lake superintendent position

Four candidates are expected to interview next week for the position of Red Lake School District superintendent.

The Minnesota School Boards Association’s Superintendent Search Service is conducting the search. The search is due to the retirement of Brent Gish, who has been superintendent for the past four years.

Five finalists were selected for the superintendent vacancy. They were chosen from a pool of 13 applicants based on criteria established by the Red Lake School District’s Board of Education.

The finalists are Kevin Abrahamson, curriculum coordinator and principal at St. Louis County Schools, based in Virginia, Minn.; William Higgins, superintendent of Tuba City Unified School District in Arizona; Melinda Jezierski, curriculum director at West Central Education District; James Murphy, former principal of Shakopee High School; and Steve Wymore, superintendent of Lake of the Woods Community Schools.

Higgins has pulled out of the race, so only four candidates are expected to interview for the position.

The Red Lake school board will hold interviews beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, July 11. All interviews will be held in the culture room at Red Lake High School.

The new superintendent is expected to start Friday, July 15, or as soon as possible.