By Beacon Staff
The Burlington School Board has narrowed the list of superintendent candidates down to three finalists.
The successful candidate will replace current superintendent Pat Coen, who will retire at the end of the current school year. The board conducted the first round of interviews Tuesday, Feb. 1, and the new superintendent will begin serving the Burlington Community School District on July 1.
The Board of Education has been working with Grundmeyer Leader Services to conduct the superintendent search. The process has included a community-wide survey, asking district residents to provide their input on the qualities and characteristics they would like to see in the district’s next leader.
The finalists are Joseph Brown, Dr. Laurie Noll, and Robert Scott.
Joseph Brown
Brown currently serves as the interim superintendent at Clear Creek Amana Community School District. He previously served as the superintendent of the Fairmont Area Schools in Minnesota. Before that, he was superintendent of the Grand Meadow Independent School District and was a high school and middle school principal.
During his time as a district administrator, Brown has negotiated contracts with staff, expanded career and technical education programming, and eliminated projected deficits.
Laurie Noll
Noll is the current superintendent of the Fairfield Community School District, where she has encouraged teachers and staff to learn from one another and nominate each other for recognition. This has led to numerous school-wide grants, teacher of the year nominations and awards, and striving towards positive school district culture.
Before that, Noll served as director of curriculum and instruction and was alternative high school principal in Burlington. Noll has also closed budget gaps and oversaw a $14 million renovation project, leading the Fairfield district through some extremely challenging situations.
Robert Scott
As director of athletics and activities for Centennial High School in Ankeny, Scott has developed coaches, organized and reported on school clubs, developed facility goals, and organized all summer athletic camps.
He also served as the associate superintendent and chief academic officer in the Davenport Community School District, where he was responsible for evaluating and developing principals. Before that, he was a principal, associate principal, and physical education teacher.
The Next Step
Board and stakeholder interview teams will conduct final interviews with each of the three finalists on Wednesday, Feb. 16. The board plans to discuss the candidates and reach a final decision soon after the formal interviews.