CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Three finalists for the job of state Superintendent of Schools will be interviewed Thursday in Charleston by the state Board of Education.
Former state state superintendent Steve Paine, current state Chief Career Technical Education Officer Kathy D’Antoni and Jackson County Superintendent Blaine Hess were chosen finalists from an original list of 12 applicants.
Paine was state superintendent during the Manchin administration from 2005-2011. He’s currently the interim superintendent in Wayne County. D’Antoni has led the redesign of the state’s career and technical schools while Hess has been recognized as one of the state county school superintendents in the state.
“Each of the three finalists has a history of strong leadership and commitment to education in West Virginia,” state School Board President Tom Campbell said in a news release. “As a Board, we hope to move quickly with our search process to identify a leader who will continue to improve teaching and learning on behalf of the more 270,000 West Virginia students.”
Closed door interviews begin at 9 a.m. Thursday and it’s possible the board may announce its choice by the end of the day.
Campbell told MetroNews last week he was a little disappointed only a dozen people applied for job but he said he understands.
“We (the state) have a huge budget deficit, a new board, a lot of challenges,” Campbell said. “Some people, depending on the stage in their career, aren’t really going to take that chance and you really can’t blame them.”
The board released the names of the finalists Wednesday morning. The person chosen will replace Dr. Michael Martirano who announced last year he’ll be returning to Maryland this June to be closer to family following the death of his wife.