PULASKI, WI (WTAQ) – UPDATE — The Pulaski Community School District announced Monday that Bec Kurzynske has been named its new superintendent.
Kurzynske had been serving as the interim superintendent since last May, after taking over from Milt Thompson.
The other finalist was Chilton middle school principal and district transportation director Richard Appel.
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We’re down to the final two for the Pulaski Community School District’s superintendent job.
Interim superintendent Bec Kurzynske is one, while the other is current Chilton middle school principal and district transportation director Richard Appel.
“The top priority is to find the best candidate for the district at this time,” says Pulaski School Board President Robert Skalitzky. “Hiring a superintendent is probably the most important decision a school board makes.”
Kurzynske has been the interim superintendent since the resignation agreement last May of former superintendent Milt Thompson. Thompson, who was hired in July 2013, abruptly was moved out of that job in less than two years.
Skalitzky says after a lot of turnover, the board would like to find a replacement for the long-term.
“We’d like to reverse that tendency,” Skalitzky says. “But I don’t think it’s ultimately the deciding factor. I think that factor is trying to find the best fit at this time.”
The expectation for Skalitzky is that the 7-member board will have a heated debate in deciding who gets the coveted superintendent job.
“I do envision very well engaged dialogue on which candidate we want to move forward,” Skalitzky says.
INTERNAL VS. EXTERNAL
From the outside, it would appear that Kurzynske has a decided advantage over Appel because of not just being in the district for several years but having performed the duties of the superintendent for the past 10 months.
“Anytime you have an internal candidate, one of the advantages or disadvantages is that you know that person and you’ve developed some kind of relationship with that person,” Skalitzky explains. “So whether that’s a good or bad relationship is the key.”
Skalitzky says the board’s job will be to weigh that knowledge and relationship with an external candidate.
“You do have a limited amount of information,” says Skalitzky. “We have the interviews, we have the research, the application, and the comments from the committee that also interviewed.”
Both Kurzynske and Appel, Skalitzky maintains, are well-qualified for the position.
“We were fine with one of those candidates leading the district,” Skalitzky affirms. “Looking out for the best for the Pulaski Community School District and leading the district in a good manner.”
PUBLIC INPUT
It was on President’s Day that both finalists were available to meet with the public, so the community could get a chance to chat with them ahead of their final interviews.
“To my surprise it was well attended,” says Skalitzky. “The candidates were in two separate parts of the library and there were people asking questions and engaging with them.”
Skalitzky estimated between 75 and 100 people attended that day, and was told that they liked this process of putting the candidates out there.
“The way the candidates interacted with the public with the question and answer session that does sway as far as any decision the school board is going to make,” Skalitzky says.
The school board could make their final decision during their meeting on March 2. Skalitzky admits that it’s not absolutely certain it will happen that day, but he says that’s the timeline expected to be met.
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