Fairbanks School District has narrowed its superintendent search to three finalists.
The finalists are Justin Ufferman, Zachary Howard and Adham Schirg.
The Fairbanks Board of Education interviewed eight candidates for the superintendent position Tuesday and Wednesday. Board President Mark Lippencott said the three finalists will be interviewed at an open house Feb. 5, where staff and members of the public invited by the board can interact with them. He said they’ll present why they believe they should be superintendent.
Lippencott said each candidate was asked the same questions in the interviewing process, and “all the eight candidates were excellent.”
“We were all very pleased with the quality of candidates we got,” Lippencott said. “All were a bit different, and we had a pretty good diversity in not only the jobs they’ve served in and their current locations, but also years of experience.”
Ufferman, of Plain City, has been the assistant principal of Hilliard Bradley High School since 2016. He’s held two other positions within the district since 2007, including assistant principal and director and instructor of the H.O.P.E. Alternative program. His current salary is $91,414.
Howard, of Blacklick, has been the assistant superintendent and director of human resources for the Pickerington Local School District since 2018. Since 2000, Howard has taken five other positions within the district, including director of assessment and accountability, high school principal, assistant high school principal, high school dean of students and high school biology teacher. His current salary is $120,000.
Schirg, of Sunbury, has been the principal of Phoenix Middle School and Worthington Academy since 2015. He’s served in two other positions within the school district since 2012, including the dean of students for Worthington Kilbourne High School and assistant principal and athletic director at McCord Middle School. His current salary is $102,095.
Lippencott said the interview process took many factors into consideration, including how the candidates would be able to relate to other district administrators, as well as how they presented, talked and compared to the superintendent profile created by K-12 Business Consulting Inc.
Lippencott said there was a similarity among the three finalists, being they were around the same age, “in their early 40s.” He said age was not a factor in the decision-making process for the finalists.
“As we were putting on our coats and getting ready to leave, someone pointed out, ‘hey, these guys are all about the same age,’” Lippencott said.
Lippencott noted some candidates had moved around various positions in their work histories, but felt it was safe they had remained in the same districts.
“As a board, we did not see any red flags or anything that led us to believe they would not stay for a continued period of time,” he said. “We saw some longevity, and none out of any of those three threw up any red flags for us.”
He said none of the candidates “gave the impression that they were using this as a resume builder.” He said other questions pertaining to longevity will be addressed in the next round of interviews.
“When we invite someone to our district… it’s a community that’s a family, and when we bring someone here, we want them to stay,” Lippencott said. “We want them to have success and to maintain the high standards we’ve had in the past, and hopefully that’s a relationship that, once we get there, we’ll continue it. That longevity is something we’re looking for in a candidate.”
Fairbanks Elementary School Principal Mark Lotycz was entered into the top eight, but didn’t make it as a finalist. Lippencott said the board used questions created by K-12 Business Consulting to “try and keep that evaluation as equal as possible.”
“He interviewed very well and received very strong consideration for a second round interview, as did several other people,” Lippencott said. “Mark was excellent, but in the end, the other three ended up being slightly higher.”
Lippencott said the official announcement for the district’s superintendent will be made sometime in the middle of the month, as well as at the next board meeting. He said the board of education and K-12 Business Consulting have to negotiate contracts with the chosen candidate, and see whether or not they want the position after negotiations.