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Alpena school board to interview Rabbideau, Gauthier, Blackwell again

ALPENA — The Alpena Public Schools Board of Education will invite superintendent candidates David Rabbideau, Meaghan Guathier, and Dorothy Blackwell to a second round of interviews scheduled for Sept. 3.

The board tonight narrowed its list of potential superintendents after interviewing five finalists from 21 applicants.

Tonight, Rabbideau, a former assistant superintendent of Harper Woods Schools, Gauthier, APS assistant superintendent for instruction, and Blackwell, superintendent of Vassar Public Schools, were interviewed. The board on Monday interviewed Myra Munroe, a special education teacher at Evart Middle School in Evart, and Craig McCane, principal of Linden Grove Middle School in Kalamazoo.

Board President Gordon Snow and Vice President Stacey Parr expressed interest in challenging candidates about their knowledge in the second round of interviews.

The board will also ask candidates to prepare a 90-day plan for the district to present to the board during the next round of interviews.

The board is searching for a replacement for former superintendent John VanWagoner, who is now superintendent in Traverse City. Susan Wooden, the former Beaverton superintendent currently serving as Alpena's interim superintendent, did not seek the permanent post.

RABBIDEAU

Rabbideau is a former assistant superintendent of Harper Woods, near Detroit, and has more than 15 years in instructional leadership, district administration, and classroom teaching.

Rabbideau has a bachelor's in music performance from Western Michigan University, a master's in teaching from Marygrove College, an Educational Specialist Degree in Leadership from Oakland University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Oakland University.

Rabbideau said relationships are "critical to the success of the district" and he believes in building relationships through open communication. He spoke about being able to create and manage budgets, implementing security features, and the importance of students succeeding academically.

Rabbideau spoke knowledgeably about Alpena, which trustees said they liked.

GAUTHIER

Gauthier has served as the assistant superintendent of instruction for a little over three years. She previously served as the coordinator of instructional services for the Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona Educational Service District, as a literacy consultant for the AMA ESD, and a sixth-grade teacher at APS.

Gauthier holds a bachelor's in special education, a master's in reading and literacy K-12, and an Educational Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership from Grand Valley State University.

Gauthier was able to draw from her knowledge and experiences of working in the district, particularly with curriculum and testing. She talked about being a "doer," but quickly realized in a leadership role that she had to support and empower others.

She noted she worked on negotiating the contract for the district's paraprofessionals.

Gauthier was the only candidate to talk about a 90-day plan.

"In my first 90 days, I would focus on that community aspect — it hasn't been my role in my role as assistant to reach out to the community as much as it is the superintendent, and I know I have some work to do in building that network," she said.

She also said she would like to become a member of the Rotary Club.

BLACKWELL

Blackwell has served as the superintendent in Vassar for a little over four years. Prior to that, she was an academic consultant with the Ingham Intermediate School District, and an interim superintendent, chief academic officer, and elementary school principal for Waverly Community Schools. She also has experience as a teacher and elementary school principal.

She has a bachelor's in elementary English from the University of Michigan, a master's in educational administration from Eastern Michigan University, Educational Specialist Degree in Leadership, and doctorate in educational administration from Capella University.

Blackwell said that, when she started as superintendent in Vassar, the district was low-performing and had declining enrollment. Through discussions with district staff, a mentoring program was developed through which teachers would meet with students to discuss goal-setting, grades, and career planning.

She also has experience passing and implementing a bond project and has implemented an energy project to help stretch the bond dollars. She said it’s important to be disciplined, have set timelines, and have things done right.

"Our taxpayers are watching, and every dollar has to be used as efficiently as possible," she said.