Superintendent leaves in July; Twin Rivers starts replacement search

The Twin Rivers R-X school board has started the search for a new superintendent after accepting the resignation of Jeremy Siebert last week.

Board President Billy Watson said the job listing has been posted and they’ve received a few candidates so far.

A job listing is the first step, he said. During this time, the board will work together to come up with the kind of criteria they’re looking for in a successful candidate and questions to ask them.

“We haven’t collectively talked about it yet, as far as what kind of criteria we want the new superintendent to portray or what kind of qualities we want them to have,” Watson said. “But, basically we all have probably our own ideas on what we were looking for. So, we will meet in the very near future and talk about what those qualities need to be. That way we ask everybody the same questions.”

Once the listing closes, board members will review the candidates and conduct interviews, asking each the same questions.

Watson said the sooner they make a hire, the better. The goal would be to have a hire by May or June, but he said that will depend on the candidate pool.

Candidate interviews are normally done in person, but with the current state of COVID-19, that could have an impact on the search.

“I think we’re going to have to have a proceed-with-caution type mentality,” Watson said. “We’re really going to have to figure out some ways that are not inside the box necessarily to get this accomplished. As far as doing them all online, I don’t know that we’ll be able to do that and get the feel that we need compared to doing it face-to-face.”

The board accepted Siebert’s resignation at the last meeting, after he accepted a position with the Charleston R-I school district to start in the beginning of July. Siebert has served as the Twin Rivers superintendent for six years.

“I’m wishing him luck,” Watson said. “I think he’ll serve Charleston well.”