Royal Oak Schools Superintendent Finalists Interview Tonight

The Royal Oak Board of Education meets at 7 p.m. today to interview the final two candidates for the superintendent position.

M. Jon Dean, assistant superintendent/executive director for human resources of Birmingham Public Schools, is scheduled to interview at 7 p.m. Shawn Lewis-Lakin, superintendent of the Manchester Community School District, is scheduled to interview at 8:30 p.m. This is the second interview for both candidates. In addition to interviewing Wednesday night, candidates are asked to bring documentation substantiating their answers to board questions and were given the opportunity to tour the district.

Marie Miller, Michigan Association of School Boards adjunct consultant, said board members will have the option of choosing the candidate to whom they would like to extend an offer immediately following Wednesday's interviews or they could convene another meeting to announce their choice. Miller was hired by the district to conduct the search.

The finalists started out in a group of five educators chosen for first interviews, which took place April 11-12.

The original candidate pool included Dean, Lewis-Lakin, Catherine Cost, assistant superintendent of Instructional Services for Farmington Public Schools; John D. Strycker, superintendent of New Lothrop Area Public Schools; and Carl Weiss, superintendent for Romulus Community Schools. Thirty-two applicants initially applied for the job.

Dean and Lewis-Lakin were unanimously chosen by board members the night of April 12 to move on to the final round.

The chosen candidate will assume the superintendent role July 1, replacing Thomas Moline, who is retiring in June after five years in the job.

The meeting at the is open to the public.