A forum held on April 16 at Moffat County High School provided community members a chance to meet and hear directly from three finalists for the school’s principal position. 

The finalists are Cynthia Porter, Manuel Warner and Aiddy Phomvisay. All three answered six structured questions before offering closing remarks in an event described by district leaders as the culmination of a ten-step hiring process.

“While Cynthia has a strong background in curriculum and instruction, Manuel has a strong background in leadership and training teams,” said Superintendent Mathew Neal. “Aiddy has a great curricular background, too, as well as excellent rural experience, and coming from both large and small Iowa communities, strongly understands the needs and the directions of rural schools like ours.”

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Prior to speaking at the forum, all candidates participated in interviews with three different district groups including the superintendent’s cabinet, other district leadership and one that featured teachers, students and parents.

According to Cuyler Meade, who serves as the district’s director of communications and grants, community engagement extended well beyond the forum, which featured around 30 audience members. Nearly 200 online surveys were submitted throughout the hiring process and students, parents, staff and administrators had multiple interactions with candidates throughout the day. 

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Another forum held on March 26 provided community members the opportunity to share what they wanted — and didn’t want — in a new high school principal. 

Laura Woodworth, a parent and former school board member, said the process was “handled just how I’ve always thought it should be,” while noting its openness, variety of engagement opportunities and emphasis on community values.

Candidate backgrounds

Cynthia Porter grew up in Wisconsin and is a U.S. military veteran. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership and curriculum instruction. Porter has served in administrative roles for seven years and has ten years of experience as an “instructional facilitator and teacher.”

She shared that her work in both small and large districts has allowed her to focus on academic alignment and student readiness.

“My leadership style is built on collaboration, shared accountability, fiscal responsibility and a relentless focus on high performance,” she said in a handout to forum attendees. “I fundamentally believe in prioritizing the learner, as the future of our society depends on their success.”

Manuel Warner began his journey in education after working as a paraprofessional in a kindergarten classroom. After serving as a teacher at many elementary grade levels, Warner went on to become an assistant principal in a Chicago-area high school before becoming principal at Roswell High School, in New Mexico. 

He holds a master’s degree in educational leadership and a bachelor’s in elementary education. 

“Education is the key to opening many doors, and so I have dedicated my life to also being a lifelong learner,” he said in the handout to those who attended the forum.

Warner now serves as the executive director at The Warner Project LLC, a school improvement consultancy which he founded. 

Originally from Laos, Aiddy Phomvisay was named 2014’s Iowa High School Principal of the Year. He described himself as a builder and sustainer of community. 

“I am a dedicated leader ready to bring 22 years of education expertise to meet the community’s expectations for educational excellence at MCSD,” he said in his section of the forum handout. “I have proven leadership skills that foster a culture of learning and improved learning conditions, implemented Professional Learning Communities, and established an instructional framework that has led to significant improvements in student achievement, graduation rates, and school morale.” 

The candidates answered six questions related to a range of education topics during the forum.

‘Why this job now?’

Phomvisay’s decision was driven by alignment with Moffat County’s values and vision, as he shared when he said “I really, really wanted to see the community… and there were so many aspects that I felt like I thought Craig would be. When I got here, it seemed so much more.” 

He then stated that he withdrew from other job searches to solely focus on Craig.

Warner described a personal calling. 

“God directed me here,” he said. “I’m a coach, and everyone is my players. My job is to make them better.”

Porter said she saw an opportunity to join a community.

“I feel most comfortable when I can be with my people, and I know that the community of Craig would be my people,” she said. It’s very uncomfortable if… you’re trying to force yourself to be part of a community that doesn’t fit right.”

‘How do you build positive school culture?’

Warner focused on recognition, saying, “Culture is why kids come to school… You recognize them for their hard work.”

His approach included Student of the Month, Staff of the Week and similar celebration initiatives.

Porter described weekly student-led assemblies that she initiated in Wyoming, calling the results, “a huge hit” while also noting that students were “engaged in being together.”

Phomvisay emphasized collective identity and empowerment. 

“Who are we as Moffat County High School? Who are we as Bulldogs?” he asked. “That agency and empowerment can carry… all the challenges that we will face.”

Using data to improve student outcomes

Porter described how she, in a prior district, had examined ACT scores and discovered major discrepancies. 

“We had a 3.5 GPA and a 13 ACT score… no one had looked at that data and questioned, ‘what is wrong with our curriculum?'” she said. 

She went on to explain how she opened conversations with staff to realign instruction with expectations.

Warner took a broader view in his response by posing guiding questions that should be asked to get to root causes, including “Why are they failing? Are they never here? Do they need resources?”

His solution involved creating wraparound teams and using deep analysis to identify and support struggling students.

Phomvisay, who implemented early warning systems and “data walls” in his former schools, said they had a “no-fail option” for students.

“We made sure that students… got the resources they need,” he said before citing success in raising enrollment and achievement across multiple programs.

Handling student discipline and relationships

Warner highlighted the importance of preemptive relationship-building by explaining, “It starts with building the relationships with students before it even gets to that.”

Phomvisay recalled a high-stakes situation involving a student who brought a loaded weapon to school. Despite the event, Phomvisay worked to create systems to help ensure the student completed his education.

“We lose out when we just throw away kids,” he said. 

Porter described how she helped a trauma-affected student learn self-regulation, which led to increased success for them in school and in life. 

Community partnerships to improve instruction

Phomvisay led the development of a skilled trades academy in Des Moines, which raised $1.2 million, enrolled 200 students in its first year, and resulted in collaboration with 30 community business partners. 

“… talk about return investment,” he said. “That was then a catalyst for other things that we wanted to develop and grow.”

Porter oversaw a work-based learning requirement in a small Wisconsin district. 

“In one of the years, we had 42 industry certifications,” she said. “That means they walk out of high school ready to work.” 

Warner partnered with auto dealerships to build a mechanics pathway, noting that students gained a diploma and certification and “walked into a job that made more money than a lot of us.”

Final remarks and the district decision

All candidates were given the opportunity to make final remarks to highlight their ideologies, qualifications and attributes for the position.

Porter emphasized her sincerity, saying “I am a genuine, transparent person. I think that speaks to my genuine nature, that it comes back to fit.”

Phomvisay reiterated his drive and prior successes. 

“I’m a proven, experienced leader,” he said. “Making a difference… has been my life’s work.”

Warner focused on his energy and ability to build trust.

“This is not a job to me,” he said. “This is what I love to do… I’m going to do everything to make sure that your kids succeed.”

Superintendent Neal will ultimately select the final candidate, and the announcement will likely be made on April 29.

“This is ultimately my decision, but I want to choose the high school principal that this community wants, needs and deserves,” said Neal in an email to the Craig Press. “In the end, the buck stops with me, but I’m not doing this in a silo. I’m so glad we were able to have an extremely open, collaborative process to inform this critical decision.”

Woodworth added that she felt one of the finalists showed a particularly deep understanding of the community’s values. 

“I could tell that one of the candidates had to have read my feedback… there was a clear, strong leader amongst them all,” she said. “If respect is given, respect is received, and hopefully that will bring more consistency to MCSD.”