For many students, December’s announcement that Dr. Eveslage would leave Harriton next year was just a ripple in their busy everyday lives. But ever since that announcement, the district has been busy.  At this time, Superintendent Copeland is considering two candidates for Harriton’s next principal, and his recommendation of one of the two will be announced at a school board meeting April 18.

The Banner interviewed Dr. Eveslage on March 8 to find out what happens in between the December announcement and the board meeting.

Potential applicants must go through a multi-step process that slowly filters the pool down to a few. Lower Merion School District’s reputation is so strong that Dr. Eveslage stated they had applicants from across the country as well as from within the district. The initial step for interested persons was to fill out an application and some essays and to submit resumes and letters of recommendations. In the first week of March, a committee of two building administrators, three teachers, and two district administrators interviewed ten of the applicants and allowed three to move forward.

This process was not confined solely to the committee. On March 5, an email from Dr. Eveslage invited the Harriton community to fill out a survey about their wishes for the new principal. On March 17, the three remaining candidates from that field of ten visited the school. Of the three, two were candidates from within the district and one was not; all three men had previous experience as principals or assistant principals.

On the 17th, after a staff breakfast during which interested teachers could have quick conversations with their potential administrators, the candidates got down to business.

They were evaluated in two ways: sitting in on classrooms and providing written assessment of teachers, and being interviewed by groups of students, parents, and teachers. (The student group contained twelve volunteers from multiple grades.) Those stakeholder groups came to agreement on which two out of the three they would most prefer to advance to the superintendent.

On April 18, Superintendent Copeland will evaluate these two and choose one. However, he can only make a recommendation: the ultimate power to appoint the principal rests with the school board. Historically, said Dr. Eveslage, the board has always supported the superintendent’s choice, so he is fairly confident that the new principal will be confirmed on April 18. If tradition breaks and the board rejects Mr. Copeland’s recommendation, the decision would likely occur after the 2015-16 school year ends.

Whatever happens, your Harriton Banner will be there to cover it. To meet your new principal (or wait longer), watch out for our report after the April 18 meeting.