Five semi-finalists selected for Austin Public Schools superintendent position
The Austin School Board would like to provide a brief update on our current superintendent search process. We contracted with the MN Schools Boards Association to assist with the search. In October, an “Austin Schools Superintendent Qualifications Survey” was launch which generated 502 responses from staff, community, students and business owners. Those results, along with board discussion, resulted in creation of the brochure used to announce the upcoming superintendent vacancy. In December, outreach continued with the “Austin Public Schools Superintendent Listening Sessions Survey.” We received responses from 177 participants and those responses were used to create specific questions for the upcoming interviews.
At the February 4, 2021, meeting of the Austin School Board, five semi-finalists were selected to interview for the school district’s superintendent vacancy. The semi-finalists were chosen from a pool of applicants and selected based on hiring criteria established by the School Board. The interviewees are:
- Joseph Libby, Executive Director, Teaching and Learning Services, West Des Moines Community Schools, IA
- Joey Page, Superintendent, Byron Public Schools, MN
- Michael Raso, Former Superintendent. Bettendorf Community Schools, IA
- Mark Raymond, Director of Human Resources, Austin Public Schools, MN
- Lori Volz, Executive Director of Finance & Operations, Austin Public Schools, MN
The school board has scheduled interviews for the semi-finalists beginning at 4:00 pm, on February 16, 2021 and continuing through February 17, 2021.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all interviews will be conducted in Austin High School’s Christgau Hall via Microsoft Teams video conferencing. All interviews are open to the public. To create fairness for each candidate, the interviews will not be livestreamed. Interviews for candidates advancing to the second round will be conducted on February 18 starting at 1 pm with the same practice used for first round interviews.