Six Callaway school district patrons who have volunteered their time to serve their school and community have been tasked with one of the most important and difficult decisions a school board has to make…choosing a new leader.

Superintendent Bryon Hanson submitted his resignation to the board months ago, specifically to allow plenty of time for the board to pursue his replacement. Hanson’s contract ends June 30. On Monday, Jan. 15, the board interviewed three candidates for that job.

“We were just really excited to have three very good candidates to choose from,” said Board President Mike Reiff at the conclusion of the interviews.

Each of the candidates spent four and a half hours in Callaway. The process included 90 minutes for a formal interview with the board, 20 minutes with district office staff, 70 minutes for a building tour, 30 minutes for a community tour, and 45 minutes with five certificated staff members. The interviews and tours concluded at 5 p.m., with the board then meeting to discuss the interviews and review stakeholder feedback.

During the board interview, each candidate was asked the same 20 questions. Topics of those questions included budget and personnel issues, programs to enhance student learning, establishing relationships with board, staff and community members, and solving disputes, to name a few.

The three candidates being interviewed were Roger Thomsen, secondary principal at Amherst; JD Furrow, superintendent/principal at Sandhills; and Bryon Olsen, director of student services at Gering.

Reiff told the candidates it was the board’s goal to select a candidate and offer a contract before noon on Tuesday. A new superintendent is expected to be hired before week’s end. We will meet the man who will be officially taking the reins of Callaway Public School on July 1, in next week’s Courier.