craigdailypress.com

Joseph Petrone

Christine Villard

Dennis Wilson

Moffat County School District officials are planning to end a five-month search for a new superintendent Thursday night.

Pete Bergmann, school district superintendent for seven years, is retiring at the end of the school year.

The School Board will make a decision on one of three finalists during its regular monthly meeting.

"That is the plan," School Board member Sandie Johns said. "We will announce the new superintendent on Thursday."

The candidates include: Joseph Petrone, a former administrator for an American international school in Jakarta, Indonesia; Christine Villard, the school district's current assistant superintendent; and Dennis Wilson, the former superintendent of the Uinta County School District No. 1, in Evanston, Wyo.

Jo Ann Baxter, School Board member, said the selection process would continue up to the meeting.

Although the date to make a decision has been set, the same can't be said about the School Board's choice.

"We're still mulling it over, still working," she said. "We will be working through, checking everything."

One of the reasons the selection is ongoing is because of the quality of the candidates, Baxter said.

"We're working to hopefully get a satisfactory result, and I am sure that we will," she said. "I think we have a very, very good slate of candidates, which is great, but it makes it more difficult" to choose.

Johns said the search for the new superintendent began in November when Bergmann handed in his resignation letter.

"It's been a long and lengthy search, but we've come up with three excellent candidates," she said.

Bergmann has had little to do with the search, which was conducted by Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, Ltd., of Illinois, but he handed in his letter early, which allowed the School Board more time to make a decision.

The School Board interviewed all three candidates at the beginning of the month.

The School Board also is scheduled to hear an update on the naming of the new middle school.

"Basically, it came up in early questions in the fall," Bergmann said. "Everyone has just been calling it Craig Middle School, but we've started the renaming process."

Bergmann said a committee of teachers, parents, students, and community members will be formed to take suggestions for the new name of the building and to make a presentation to the School Board.

"The committee will take nominations and screen them before eventually making a suggestion to the School Board," he said. "The vote will be a little further down the road."

Ben Bulkeley can be reached at 875-1795 or bbulkeley@craigdailypress.com