UPDATED: School Board to Interview Applicants for Superintendent's Job Today

The Newark Unified School District's Board of Education is scheduled to interview candidates for the district superintendent's job during a special board meeting scheduled for this afternoon.

According to an agenda posted on the district's website, the five-member board will hold the interviews in a closed session starting at 1:30 p.m. at a private residence at 37866 Lobelia Drive.

The agenda states, "Members of the Board of Education will interview applicant(s) for the position of Superintendent of Schools for the Newark Unified School District."

Details on how many applicants will be interviewed were not released Thursday afternoon for reasons of confidentiality, according to an official in the superintendent's office.

Board President Charles Mensinger said Friday that the candidates are current superintendents of other districts but could not disclose any more details.

"We're not trying to hide anything. We're trying to honor their confidentiality," Mensinger said.

The Ralph M. Brown Act allows closed meetings for personnel issues. He added that the agenda was posted on the district's website 24 hours prior to its scheduled time, which is required by law for special meetings.

Mensinger said the board follows the laws laid out by the act and that personnel issues will never be discussed during an open meeting.

"We could hurt our chances of getting someone super qualified," he added.

The board will be discussing the process of finding a superintendent at its next board meeting, according to Mensinger. He added that the talks with the potential superintendent candidates set for Friday are in a very preliminary stage.

The superintendent position will become vacant when the resignation of Superintendent Kevin Harrigan becomes effective on July 1. The district has about 6,500 students. 

, board members discussed the cost of searching for and hiring a new district superintendent.

Chief Business Official Steven Sheilds recommended that the board allocate $35,000 toward the task.

To see the agenda, see the PDF attached above or visit the school district's website here.

Newark Patch will provide updates on this item as it becomes available.