16A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 4, 2015
Polk County Schools/Education
Finalists: Candidates in town Thursday, Friday
Continued from Page 1A
“My favorite part of being a
superintendent is being able
to get in and work with the
community,” Johnstone said.
“They will find that I’m an ap-
proachable, visible leader
who is focused on kids.”
Johnstone is also a finalist
for the Greater Albany Public
School District and Monroe
(Wash.) School District su-
perintendent positions.
Jeff Leo has led the Knap-
pa School District of Knappa
in Northwest Oregon for the
last four years. He also serves
as the high school/middle
school principal for the dis-
trict, which has a student
population of 500.
Leo, 42, said he likes the
Dallas district’s “student-cen-
tric” philosophy and also the
family-oriented, close-knit
feel of the community. He
has three young children,
ages 4, 5 and 7, and believes
Dallas would be a great place
to raise his family — and en-
roll his kids into school.
He said, if chosen for the
job, he would bring experience
as a superintendent and prin-
cipal, would seek input from
everyone, from staff and
teachers to administrators and
community members, before
making major decisions.
DALLAS SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT FINALISTS
Meet the Finalists
What: Community meet-and-greet sessions with Dallas
School District superintendent finalists.
When: Thursday and Friday from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Where: Dallas High School library, 1250 SE Holman Ave.
Who: Thursday, Michelle Johnstone; Friday, Jeff Leo and
Randy Refsland.
For more information: www.dallas.k12.or.us/
that values schools and he be-
lieve Dallas fits that bill.
If offered the job, Refsland
said he will bring the experi-
ence of having been a teacher
for 18 years, a union presi-
dent and school principal.
“I like to think I bring a
broad perspective,” Refsland
said. “There’s not just one
way to do things. … They
(people in Dallas) should ex-
pect that I will be committed
to improving our school dis-
trict every day I’m there.”
The three candidates will
visit the district either Thurs-
day or Friday for school and
community tours, with the
day concluding at a meet-
and-greet starting at 5 p.m.
both days, followed by second
interviews with the board.
“The plan is to provide an
opportunity for anyone to
come in and talk to them,”
Blanchard said.
“Dallas
is a great
district al-
ready,” Leo
said. “I
w o u l d
want to
find out
what peo-
Blanchard
ple think
we need to
do to continue to get better.”
Randy Refsland has been
the superintendent in Wis-
consin’s Clinton Community
School District, serving 1,200
students, for five years.
Refsland, 55, said he is in-
terested in becoming Dallas’
next superintendent because
he likes the support given to
schools in Oregon. He said the
environment for schools in
Wisconsin “has made it tough
for us to do our job.” Refsland
said he would like to spend
the rest of his career in a place
Michelle
Johnstone
Age: 51
Jeff
Leo
Age: 42
Randy
Refsland
Age: 55
Expe-
rience:
Superin-
tendent
for Brush
School
District
in Brush,
Colo., for
Johnstone
f o u r
years. El-
ementary school principal
in St. Vrain School District
(25,000 students) in Long-
mont, Colo. (four years)
and in the Greeley School
District (18,000 students)
in Greeley, Colo. (six years).
Prior to becoming an ad-
ministrator 14 years ago,
Johnstone was an elemen-
tary school teacher.
Education: Doctorate in
educational leadership and
policy studies from the
University of Northern Col-
orado; Master of Arts in lin-
guistically diverse learners
from University of North-
ern Colorado.
Experi-
ence: Su-
perinten-
dent and
h i g h
school
and mid-
d
l
e
school
Leo
principal
for the
Knappa School District in
Northwest Oregon for four
years. His prior experience
also includes teaching
math and serving as head
girls basketball coach for
Astoria High School in As-
toria for four years. Before
moving to Oregon, Leo
taught math in Yuma, Ariz.,
for eight years.
Education: He has a
master’s degree in educa-
tional leadership from
Northern Arizona Universi-
ty and a Bachelor of Sci-
ence in secondary educa-
tion from Western Mon-
tana College.
Experi-
ence: Su-
perinten-
dent of
Clinton
Commu-
n i t y
School
District in
Refsland
Clinton,
Wis., for
five years. He took a one-
year sabbatical to serve as
the chief academic officer
with the Ameson Education
Foundation in Nanjing,
China. Superintendent in
the Waupun Area School
District, Waupun, Wis., and
a high school principal in
Milton, Wis. and 18 years
teaching experience in Wis-
consin and Minnesota.
Education: He has a
doctorate in educational
leadership from Edgewood
College and a Master of
Science in secondary edu-
cation from University of
Wisconsin – Platteville.
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