Five finalists to interview for Mabton superintendent

MABTON -- Superintendent Sandra Pasiero-Davis plans to retire at the end of the school year, and Mabton school officials are near the end of their search for her successor.

Pasiero-Davis, 66, has been at her post six years.

"I thought this was an opportunity for me to look at a new road, new things, new ideas, new people and less stress," she said.

She is unsure of her plans but may consult, teach at a university or write. She pens poetry and children's literature.

The search for her replacement will culminate today when five finalists visit Mabton schools.

They will eat breakfast with the district's three school principals, take a tour of the area, have lunch with union representatives, then rotate through question-and-answer sessions with focus groups made up of teachers, staff members, parents, students, business owners and other Mabton residents.

Tonight, the Mabton School Board will host a public reception for residents to meet the candidates from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Mabton High School library.

On Friday, the board will formally interview all five of them.

The finalists are: Gary Vegar, assistant superintendent for the Sunnyside School District; Daniel Garcia, former superintendent for the Laredo (Texas) Independent School District; Marty Brewer, principal of Lewis and Clark Elementary School in Richland; Patty Schmella, curriculum director for the Toppenish School District; and Minerva Morales, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning for the Grandview School District.

Board members have not decided when they will make a decision. The next regular board meeting is 6:30 p.m. Monday.

"We're going to take the necessary steps to make sure we find the right fit," said Board President Elsa Sanchez.

Whoever the board hires will take the reigns of a poor district of about 1,000 students, 93 percent of whom are from Latino families, according to the district Web site. About a third of them are from migrant families, and 83 percent receive free or reduced lunches.

As the district's top administrator, the new superintendent will oversee about 114 employees and a budget of about $11 million per year.

Pasiero-Davis announced her plans to resign in July. In October, school board members hired Cascade Consulting Group of Bellevue to lead a national search.

The process attracted 24 applicants.

Pasiero-Davis, a native of Panama, cites the district's budget reserve, making learning goals for each grade more consistent, and the establishment of Mabton Middle School in the fall of 2008 as the highlights of her six-year tenure.

"It gave them identity, it gave them pride, it gave them a campus, it gave them their own rhythm," she said of the middle school.

Before that, seventh and eighth-grade students shared the high school building. The district created the middle school in four portable classrooms across the parking lot from the high school. The students still use the high school for many activities, including lunch and physical education.

Pasiero-Davis has had some success in helping raise student aspirations.

All but two of last spring's graduating class -- roughly 44 students -- had firm plans to attend college or technical school while third-graders outperformed the state average on the WASL test in reading and math, she said.

Still, older students continue to score poorly on the WASL. In 2009, 10th-graders passed the state's standardized test at rates well below the state average. Only 18 percent met standards in math.

* Ross Courtney can be reached at 509-930-8798 or rcourtney@yakimaherald.com.