Familiar names on superintendent list

The Clovis schools administration on Tuesday released the names of the five finalists for the superintendent job, a list that includes three in-district candidates and one each from Tucumcari and Las Cruces.

Pared down from of a list of 11 applicants during a special session Monday, the finalists are:

• David Briseno, La Casita Elementary School principal

• Ladona Clayton, Clovis assistant superintendent for instruction

• William Reents, Tucumcari superintendent of schools

• Rhonda Seidenwurm, deputy superintendent of instruction for Las Cruces public schools

• Andy Sweet, former Clovis High School principal and current Clovis teacher

Clovis school board president Terry Martin said members of the board hope to begin the interview process by late March or early April, but more than anything the board wants to find the right person for the job. All five candidates will be interviewed in the process, Martin said.

“Basically we are going to make sure we get the right person, the right fit,” Martin said. “That (timeline) can be extended if we don’t find the right fit.”

In choosing the finalists to replace Neil Nuttall, who resigned in December to take a job at a Missouri junior college, the school board consulted with the parent-action committee and the district strategic committee on candidate requirements, Martin said.

Nuttall’s salary was $97,192 at the time of his departure.

Board member Mark Lansford said he hopes they will have an applicant hired by May to facilitate the transition between the interim superintendent, G.C. Ross, and the new superintendent.

Ross, who was not eligible for the permanent position, is expected to stay on until June.

“We are including as many people as we can and getting as many ideas as we can to hopefully help and aid us at arriving at the best decision possible,” Lansford said.

He said the board was deliberative in their efforts to choose the right people.

“Clovis is unique, we definitely want someone who can get along with the principals, the students and the teachers,” Martin said.

Although three of the candidates are already in Clovis schools and two are from out of town, Martin said fairness will be at the center of their hiring process.