On Saturday, the Board of Education interviewed candidates for the open superintendent position left vacant after Dr. Eddie Campbell accepted the position as superintendent of Monongalia County school system.
Five applicants initially applied for the Tucker County position, but one rescinded their application before the interview date. Jeremy Pyle, Alicia Lambert, Gary Cook, and David Pastrick applied for the superintendent position.
Pyle is the principal of Webster Springs Elementary School in Webster County, West Virginia. Known locally, Lambert is the principal of Davis Thomas Elementary Middle School.
Cook is the assistant superintendent of the Putnam County, West Virginia school system. Pastrick retired from his position as principal of Preston County High School in 2017. He resigned as superintendent of Somerset Area School District in Pennsylvania in 2010.
Before the interviews began, the board, along with school system employees, met to discuss matters related to the search. The group developed questions for the interviewees concerning curriculum development, instructional experience, beliefs on the relationship between the board and superintendent, school system improvements, student morale, community involvement, long-term goals, and financial concerns.
Being that the Tucker County school system is still on the state’s financial watch list, the board and system employees crafted questions to explore the interviewees’ ideas for financial success.
Each interview was scheduled to last for about an hour, which included an opening statement from the interviewee. The interviews were held in an executive session.
While the board allowed school system employees to participate in the interview process, only the board votes on the candidates. The board expressed their goal for Saturday was to begin scoring the candidates.
Their decision will be announced in the upcoming weeks as contracts and negotiations develop with their chosen candidate.