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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2015)
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. 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