Fulton Public Schools' superintendent search committee has narrowed its candidates down to a list of finalists.
Search committee member Andy Bonderer said the FPS Board of Education will hold interviews for its final four candidates Monday and Tuesday evening. Bonderer said 15-20 candidates applied for the job.
"We have very good candidates. When you read the applications, they're rockstars. Sometimes you have to wonder if they're really rockstars or just really good at filling out applications," Bonderer said.
Four backup candidates are also being considered, he added. In November, FPS hired the Missouri Association of Rural Education as its search firm, and Bonderer said he is pleased with the job they have done.
"MARE took references and made the calls on the references. I think MARE did their due diligence," he said.
In November, Bonderer said FPS Assistant Superintendent Ty Crane had expressed interest in the position. Crane said he is participating in the interview process next week among the other final candidates.
"I'm coming up on roughly 20 years in education, and it's always been a passion of mine as I grew up in a family of educators," Crane said. "My kids go to school here, so my biggest motivator is to make sure that we're providing the best education opportunities for our community."
Crane said he has applied for superintendent positions in the past before.
The school board will have final say on the decision and is looking to make a choice by the end of 2019. FPS board President Emily Omohundro said the board is still on schedule in making its decision.
"This is the best time of year to be doing a search, and Dr. Cowherd gave us his retirement notice with a lot of thought on the timing," Omohundro said.
Bonderer described FPS's position as "unique" because of the advance notice they had on the vacancy. He said the search committee was able to field questions and suggestions from staff members throughout the district's buildings as well as community members, passing them on to MARE.
"Community members wanted the (next superintendent) to be a strong member of Fulton, an effective communicator and have a clear and concise vision for the district," he said.