SALEM SCHOOL BOARD Superintendent interviews to begin later this month

SALEM -- The school board plans to make its first cut of superintendent candidates soon and begin interviews later this month, officials said Monday.
Board President Marguerite Miller said board members will conduct interviews behind closed doors Feb. 26 and March 2. She said she expects no more than half of the 24 applicants to be invited for face-to-face sessions.
"From those, we would narrow it down to, probably, three," Miller said. "Hopefully from those three, we would be able to make a decision."
Miller repeated board members' goal of filling the position by the middle of next month. The board launched its search in December after current Superintendent David G. Brobeck announced he would step down in July.
The board received applications from five states. They represent a broad range of experiences; eight are sitting superintendents in other districts.
Two have ties to the Salem schools. Dennis Niederhiser is principal of the Buckeye elementary. Rob Mehno, a principal in Carrollton, served as a principal at Salem Middle School until this year.
Miller said she and other board members continue to review the applications. After they interview candidates and cut the list to three finalists, she said the school board will conduct extensive background checks. She said the board may invite the finalists to spend time in the district.
Board members have not specified a salary for the 2,430-student system's top job. Brobeck makes $82,000 a year.