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Phillips’ comments follow five executive sessions the board conducted to interview 10 candidates in choosing a successor to longtime Superintendent Rusty Clifford, who is resigning effective July 31 from the district that includes parts of Miami Twp. and Moraine.
She did not indicate which candidate(s) the board is considering on a short list or if the board trimmed the candidates from the 10 picked for interviews.
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“Until we have an accepted offer, all of our final candidates are still in play,” Phillips stated in an email.
Clifford announced his resignation in early February and the board held a community forum Feb. 22 on the superintendent search. Board members said at that time the search and interview process would be from early March to mid-April with the goal of making a decision in early May.
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Sixteen Ohio candidates applied by the March 3 deadline. Those with area ties selected for interviews for the job held since 1999 by Clifford include:
-Amy Baldridge, Greene County Educational Service Center director of educational programs;
-Kimberly Hall, Walter Shade Early Childhood Center principal in West Carrollton;
-Shelley Hilderbrand, Huber Heights City Schools assistant superintendent;
-Matthew McCorkle, former Washington Court House Schools superintendent;
-Jeff Patrick, Franklin-Monroe Local Schools superintendent.
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The other five include: Thomas Bailey, assistant superintendent of Three Rivers Local Schools in Cleves near Cincinnati; Martha Hasselbusch, superintendent of South Central in Greenwich; Robert Humble, superintendent of Fairbanks Local Schools in Milford Center; Michael McCoy, superintendent of Oak Hill Union Local Schools in Jackson County; and Andrea Townsend, superintendent of New Bremen Local Schools in Auglaize County.
Aside from talking with the candidates, the five sessions that wrapped up Monday gave the board a “chance to discuss which of the candidates fit the needs of our school and our community the best,” Phillips stated.
“We were very fortunate to have highly qualified candidates submit their applications. I am very happy with the process we have been following. We started with a solid understanding of what we were looking for and added valuable community and staff input,” she added.
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