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Lakewood down to two in superintendent search




HEBRON – It’s by no means certain, but Licking County Educational Service Center Superintendent Nelson McCray said the Lakewood School Board has narrowed its superintendent search down to two candidates and may announce a decision during its Nov. 12 board meeting.

“They are down to two (candidates) for second interviews this Wednesday (Nov. 5),” Mc- Cray said. “It will take perhaps a week or so with reference checks, et cetera, but there could be an announcement as early as the November 14th board meeting.”

Lakewood Superintendent Jay Gault recently announced his retirement effective June 30, 2015. He’s not as optimistic the board will announce a decision Nov. 14. “They may come out Wednesday with a frontrunner,” he said, but then the negotiations for salary, etc., begin.

Gault said it’s difficult for him to estimate when board members will announce their decision because most meetings about hiring a new superintendent have taken place in executive, or private, session, from some of which he was excluded. “None of us has been privy to everything,” he said.

Gault estimated board members considered about a dozen candidates.. “That’s safe to say,” he said. Gault said that isn’t a particularly small amount of interest as there are quite a few superintendent positions open in Ohio and the pool of applicants isn’t large. Gault said a superintendent’s salary may look enticing at first, but the amount of work and stress associated with earning it discourages some candidates.

Gault has served as Lakewood superintendent for 10 years and Lakewood High School principal for three years.



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