EVERETT — The search for Everett School District’s new superintendent has been narrowed to three names.
They are Gabriella Duran-Blakey, Steve Thompson and Ian Saltzman — and they all are from out of state.
The choices were announced Tuesday evening at an Everett School Board meeting.
Thirty-five people applied to lead the district, which has 20,000 students, 2,400 employees and the distinction of paying its most veteran teachers the highest salaries in the state.
Two of the finalists have experience working with much larger student populations, while only one holds the top position.
Saltzman is the south region superintendent of the School District of Palm Beach County in Florida, which has 193,000 students.
Duran-Blakey is associate superintendent for leadership and learning at Albuquerque Public Schools in New Mexico, with 82,000 students.
Thompson is superintendent of the 8,500-student Willoughby-Eastlake School District in Ohio.
Another round of interviews is in store for the three next week, when they’ll get to meet students, teachers, staff, principals and others from the community. Board members expect to make a final decision by May 30, and the new superintendent should start work July 1.
The pick will replace Superintendent Gary Cohn, who intends to retire this summer.
He arrived at Everett Public Schools a decade ago after a stint as superintendent in Port Angeles. Cohn also was vice president at Lake Washington Technical College, an administrator for the Lake Washington School District and a teacher in the Northshore School District in the early 1980s.
Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.
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