BCSD supt. interviews Friday

BONNERS FERRY — After the last round of candidates for Boundary County School District Superintendent fell through, two new candidates will go through the interview process this Friday, with an open community forum for each candidate beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The school board offered the superintendent position to Jan Bayer after a round of Feb. 13 interviews and an open community forum at Bonners Ferry High School, but competing offers from her current districts in the Silver Valley and other concerns prompted Bayer to turn down BCSD’s offer.

“We went to the ISBA (Idaho School Board Association) for help with recommendations and the search,” said board chair David Brinkman.

This Friday’s candidate lineup originally included a principal from southeast Idaho, but the field has slimmed to two candidates.

James Pannell is the education program director at the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections in Boise. Pannell has previous ties to the area.

The second candidate is one many may know, Gary Pflueger, who currently serves as principal at Valley View Elementary.

Brinkman says that the district will know more after the process has been completed, but that the district doesn’t necessarily have to choose between one of the candidates.

“I’d rather have the right person in the position than just ‘a person,’” he said.

Each candidate will be

first interviewed by a committee of local citizen representatives and district principals from 10 a.m. to noon. After a lunch break, candidates will be interviewed by the school board and will have a chance to meet and speak with district staff.

After an optional afternoon tour of the district’s facilities, the open community forum will take place at the Boundary County Middle School library. As with previous candidates, each will have half an hour to speak to and take questions from community members, with input requested from attendees after the question and answer period.

Forum times are:

• James Pannell 5:30 to 6 p.m.

• Gary Pflueger 6 to 6:30 p.m.

For more information, contact the school district at 267-3146.