Interviews are scheduled for April 23 

DEL NORTE — With the departure of Chris Burr, current superintendent, coming at the end of June, the Upper Rio Grande School District Board of Education selected three finalists — Norman “Kyle” Cooper, Jacquelynn Crabtree and Aaron Horrocks — at its April 8 meeting. 

Once Burr’s departure became known, the district with the board’s approval advertised the opening. 

A total of 15 candidates provided the following information to the board — cover letter, application and three letters of recommendation. 

Candidates were required to answer the following questions: 

• In any capacity (teacher, administration, district level) what sort of unique, creative, inspired, “out of the box” type of idea did you implement that saw results? Have you been involved with new and different education reforms that helped students achieve? Please explain.

• What are your core beliefs about small communities and the challenges of small school districts? Explain some experiences you may have had in rural districts.

• What is the one thing you learned from each step in your career (teacher, administration, district level) that you think has helped you to become the type of superintendent our district needs?

• Explain your manner of leadership and style of management. And along those lines, are you familiar with the “Policy Governance” style of board leadership? Please describe your likes and or dislikes of it.

Once the application deadline passed, a Superintendent Search Committee was formed to review the packets. The committee followed a rubric for each candidate that consisted of the following “requirements” — Proven Communicator, Academically Qualified, Prior Experience, References, Life-Long Learner, Job Stability, Love and Logic vs PBIS, Understanding of Policy Governance, and Grasp of Budgets and School Law. 

The result of many hours of reading, researching, and reference checking resulted in the committee selecting three finalists to interview — Cooper of Florissant, Crabtree of Holly, and Horrocks of South Fork. The school board unanimously approved the committee’s recommendation during a meeting on April 8. 

Interviews of the three finalists will take place on Friday, April 23. The school board and secretary will conduct their interviews in one room, while in another room some of the school’s administrative team, as well as members of the DAC will ask their own questions. 

The community brought other questions and ideas to the Board at the April 7, special school board meeting, and these will be considered for the interviews on April 23.