Superintendent field narrows

Sisters' next school superintendent will come from Jackson County. That much is certain. The only question is which of two finalists will get the job: Charles Hellman, superintendent of Rogue River School District, or Clayton "Doug" Jantzi, director of secondary education and director of curriculum assessment for Central Point schools.

Those two emerged with the highest rankings by the Sisters School Board and lay members of the district's search committee after the five semifinalist candidates for the position were interviewed March 14 and 15.

Telephone background checks by board members last week uncovered nothing to knock either finalist out of contention.

At a special meeting Friday, March 21, the board decided on its next steps to find a replacement for Superintendent Steve Swisher, who is officially retiring next month. He has agreed to stay on the job for a while to help with the transition.

On April 9 and 10, all five board members will make formal "site visits" in Rogue River and Central Point. They will talk with school people and others in the candidates' home communities to get their appraisals and hear any concerns those familiar with the men may have. Hellman and Jantzi themselves will play host and arrange for the visitors to see people designated by board members.

The board will ask Middle School Principal Lora Nordquist and personnel director Jan Martin to join them and help make inquiries.

The following week, both candidates will be asked to return to Sisters. They will visit the schools and participate in at least one public event in which they will make brief public presentations and meet interested residents. This will be followed by final, separate school board interviews of each man. After the interviews, the board expects to make its selection.

The two finalists present an interesting contrast.

Hellman, 59, was born in Brooklyn. He taught in New York City elementary schools for four years before moving to San Francisco, where he worked as a teacher, counselor and eventually assistant principal in elementary and middle schools. He came to Rogue River High School as an assistant principal in 1989 and two years later became superintendent. His school district has roughly 1,200 students, about the same number as Sisters.

Jantzi, 49, is a native of Oregon who began his career as a teacher at North Medford High School. After 10 years there he moved to Treasure Valley Community College for one year, 1990-91.

He then worked for a couple of years in the Oregon Department of Education, helping to implement the 1991 state school reform law. He was a school reform coordinator in Greater Albany Public Schools for six years before taking his current post in Central Point in 1999. His district has about 4,600 students.

The candidates do have one thing in common: Both live in Medford, which is only a few miles down Interstate 5 from their respective offices.