FINALIST FOR SCHOOL BOARD SUPERINTENDENT WILL BE HERE TODAY

The first of two finalists for Cape Girardeau school superintendent will visit today.

A public forum with David G. Smith is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Central Junior High School cafeteria. Prior to the forum, Smith has a day-long schedule of meetings and tours in Cape Girardeau.

At 10:45 a.m., Smith is set to meet with district administrators. At noon he is to meet with the Board of Education. At 1 p.m., Smith is scheduled for a tour of schools and building sites. At 3 p.m., he is to meet with secondary teachers and staff at the Junior High cafeteria. At 4 p.m., elementary teachers and staff will meet with him.

Following the public forum, Smith and the Board of Education will meet again at 6:30 p.m. in a closed session.

The second finalist, Dan Steska, will visit Tuesday and follow the same schedule.

Dr. Dan Tallent, Cape Girardeau's superintendent, will resign on June 30. The school board hopes to hire his replacement by the end of December.

Smith is superintendent at Excelsior Springs School District in the Kansas City area. The school district has 3,245 students and an operating budget of about $18 million. Steska is superintendent of Arcadia Valley School District. It has 1,256 students and an operating budget of about $10 million.

The Cape Girardeau district has 4,225 students and an operating budget of about $24 million.

Steska has worked at Arcadia Valley since 1996. Prior to that, he spent 24 years with the Perryville School District, a portion of which her served as principal.

Following the finalists' visits to Cape Girardeau, members of the school board will be traveling to each of the candidate's hometowns to talk with individuals in their school districts and communities.

The board could offer the job to one of the candidates at its Dec. 21 meeting.