Bellevue Superintendent Finalists: Alex Apostle Says Bellevue Could be Top District in Nation

Update May 23 5:50 a.m.

The Bellevue School District has posted the videos of Alex Apostle's community forums:

Morning

Evening

Original post:

Alex Apostle, one of three finalists for the position of Bellevue superintendent, said that the has the potential to become one of the top districts in the nation.

"Bellevue is poised to truly be the number one school district in America, and with our strength and continued vision and focus we can get there," said Apostle, currently the superintendent of the Missoula County Public Schools in Montana.

"We’ve got to go out and you’ve got to work and meet people, and talk to people and involve people in a very sincere manner," he said.

Apostle cited his success in raising the standards as the administrator at the Missoula County Public Schools, including efforts to reach out to that district's Native American population by moving the Indian Education program to the district office.

The public will get another chance to meet Apostle at a meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. at International School. Videos of the two public forums also will be posted to the Bellevue School District website. (Patch will post a link to the video when it becomes available.)

Apostle was the first of to be interviewed to replace citing family reasons.

Two other candidates, Mark Mitrovich the superintendent of the Naperville Community Unit School District will interview on Wednesday, and Justin (Tim) Mills, superintendent of the North Clackamas School District in Oregon, will interview on Thursday.

Apostle said he grew up in the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma, and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, as the son of Greek immigrants. He said that his experience as a student who spoke only Greek helps him understand the challenges of families who speak English as a second language.

Read more about the search for a Bellevue School District Superintendent on Bellevue Patch.

Apostle, 64, has been the Superintendent of the Missoula County Public Schools since 2008.

According to Apostle's district biography, the rest of his career has been in Washington schools: as principal of Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma, Riverview High School near Kennewick, Sedro-Woolley High School and Renton's Liberty High School in the Issaquah Public Schools from 1986-1991.

In a March profile of Apostle that ran in The Missoulian, he said that he returned to education after retiring from the Tacoma School District as an assistant superintendent in 2001 because he was still passionate about it.

The profile noted that a graduation rate improvement program that he started at the Missoula County Public School District -- Graduation Matters Missoula -- was adopted statewide. However, some educators told The Missoulian that they felt that changes and programs were adopted too quickly, and resulted in many meetings.

Apostle recently was a considered to be a superintendent in the Spokane School District, according to Montana TV station KPAX.

Schedule

Alex Apostle

May 22, 2012--    445 – 128^th Ave. SE
7:15 – 8:15 am Morning Community Forum (carpools suggested)
6:30 – 7:30 pm Evening Community Forum

Mark Mitrovich

May 23, 2012 at    445 – 128^th Ave. SE
7:15 – 8:15 am Morning Community Forum (carpools suggested)
6:30 – 7:30 pm Evening Community Forum

Justin (Tim) Mills

May 24, 2012 at    16245 NE 24^th St.

7:15 – 8:15 am Morning Community Forum (carpools suggested)
6:30 – 7:30 pm Evening Community Forum