Snoqualmie Valley School District Superintendent, Joel Aune, was recently named one of six finalists for the open Renton (WA) School District superintendent position.
According to a press release from the Renton School District, “The six finalists were selected by the [Renton] school board from a pool of 12 who applied for the position left vacant when Dr. Mary Alice Heuschel accepted the position of Chief of Staff to newly-elected Washington Governor, Jay Inslee.”
SVSD Superintendent Aune will participate in a preliminary 1-hour interview today, March 19, 2013, conducted by an advisory panel of Renton school district community members, parents and district staff and led by Renton School Board members. The interview will consist of 12-15 questions related to leadership challenges and each candidate’s leadership qualifications.
The pool of the top six candidates will be narrowed to three who will then return to meet with the Renton School Board and the public at community meetings scheduled for April 1-4, 2013.
Mr. Aune was hired as the Snoqualmie Valley superintendent in March 2005, after serving as the superintendent of Colfax Schools in Eastern Washington from 1998-2005. The Renton School District is home to about 14,000 students from pre-K-12th grade. The Snoqualmie Valley School District is home to roughly 6,000 students.
When asked (via email) his thoughts on the prospect of running a larger school district, Mr. Aune’s only remark was that it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment at this time, as it’s so early in the selection process for the Renton School District.
School Board President, Scott Hodgins, commented, “Joel is an excellent school superintendent. He has re-focused our district on teaching and learning, and improving the educational experience for our children. It will be a sad day if Joel makes the decision to leave.”
