Districts also considering superintendent sharing

 

Alden-Conger and Glenville-Emmons school districts are preparing to take another step closer together as the process moves forward to hire a joint activities director.

According to Alden-Conger Public School District Superintendent Brian Shanks at Monday’s school board meeting, the district is moving into the final phases of hiring the position posted in January. Over 10 applicants applied, and five were selected for interviews by a committee comprised of both Alden-Conger and Glenville-Emmons administrators and coaches. Two finalists will be interviewed March 23 and three on March 25.

The five finalists include:

• Jenny Hovendick, assistant activities director with Alden-Conger Public Schools

• Brad Ryan, teacher and coach with Waseca Public Schools

• Paul Meyer, former teacher and coach with Alden-Conger

• Dave Frisell, living in Lakeville

• Alex White, living in Park Rapids

Shanks said the hope is to have one candidate to recommend to the Alden-Conger school board at its April 15 meeting. All candidates come with either a degree in sports management or some experience as an athletic director, he said.

Current Glenville-Emmons Activities Director Craig Rayman is not among the candidates being interviewed.

“I’m pretty excited that we had the number of candidates and quality of candidates that we did,” Shanks said.

Glenville-Emmons Superintendent Jerry Reshetar said the hire makes “perfect sense” for their district due to current athletic sharing with Alden-Conger. The two districts have shared teams for baseball, softball, football and girls’ basketball.

“I feel very good about the quality of people that have applied, so I feel confident that we’re going to select one that’s going to meet our needs,” Reshetar said.

Pay for the position will depend on experience, past work and the cost-sharing specifics to be agreed to with Glenville-Emmons.

The Alden-Conger school board also went into a closed session to discuss the potential of superintendent sharing with Glenville-Emmons, said Alden-Conger school board chairman Ryan Merkouris.

“For small, rural schools, it certainly makes sense to share the most expensive employee in the school district,” Reshetar said. “Superintendents are expensive, and if you can share one and cut those expenses, it helps the school districts to spend their money more wisely, perhaps on other programs.”

According to both Shanks and Reshetar, the conversation is still in its infancy with no specific timeline for decision-making.

“I know that the two school boards are going to talk with one another, and they have not yet,” Reshetar said.

Both superintendents also said the shared athletic director position and shared athletics was an instigation for the conversation. However, Shanks emphasized a decision is a ways from being made.

“We’re really early in the discussion and we have a lot of details to work out,” Shanks said.