Politics & Government

Who Should Be Brentwood's Next Superintendent?

The Brentwood Board of Education hired a consultant to gather feedback from administrators, teachers and community members.

Brentwood resident Kent Krimmel wonders whether the Brentwood School District's next superintendent should only have a few years of experience.

With most folks weathering a tough economic storm, Krimmel says the district could save some money by hiring a superintendent with a thin resume. He compared the district's pending decision to the one made by the St. Louis Cardinals when they chose to hire Mike Matheny instead of the more-experienced Terry Francona.

Just as the Cardinals have set up Matheny with a championship-winning team, Brentwood schools have set up their next chief with small class sizes, high-achieving students and great support from the community.

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"Everything seems in place for a successful transition," Krimmel said.

Krimmel, 57, was among the seven residents who attended a forum Thursday to share his suggestions with Dr. William Rebore, who is advising the Brentwood Board of Education during its search for a new superintendent.

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Rebore is a higher education professor at Saint Louis University and led the search to hire Superintendent Dr. Charles Penberthy in 2002.

Rebore is asking Brentwood residents what kind of person they want to fill the position left vacant with Penberthy's upcoming retirement on . Rebore has also interviewed district administrators and teachers.

It's part of the process to create a qualified candidate profile, Rebore said.

How many years of experience should the new superintendent have? Should he or she have prior experience in education? What skills are important to the district? Those are the types of questions Rebore will ask before reporting back to the school board. 

Rebore handed the attendees a survey, which is also attached to this article as a PDF. He will be accepting submissions until Dec. 1. His email is reborewt@gmail.com.

The survey allows the school board to frame questions for applicants and set priorities for who is hired, Rebore said.

Applications for the position are due by Dec. 16. The school board hopes to have someone hired by the end of January, Rebore said.

Ten people have already applied, but Rebore said several applications will arrive after Dec. 1. Applicants hail from the Midwest and as far away as Arizona and Washington DC.

Rebore expects to have 20 to 30 good applications.

"We're going to get good applicants because the Brentwood School District is an excellent district," he said, referring to the supportive community, small class sizes and good programs. 

The names of applicants will be confidential because most of them have jobs, Rebore said.

The new superintendent is slated to begin on July 1.


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