MAPS Board approves Bruce Anderson as Interim Superintendent

After conducting a series of interviews yesterday and meeting last night, the Merrill Area Public School Board voted to approve offering the interim superintendent position to Bruce W. Anderson, who is currently the district's co-assistant superintendent. The board also approved the hiring of an interim Central Office candidate to assist with administrative duties.

As interim superintendent, Bruce Anderson will lead the school district for the 2011-12 school year while the process to select a permanent superintendent proceeds. The permanent superintendent is expected to begin in July 2012.

?The school board realizes that it would be very difficult to conduct a search for and to hire a permanent superintendent this close to the beginning of the school year. At the same time, we want to ensure a smooth leadership transition over the next year,? said Keith Schmelling, president of the Merrill Area Public School Board. ?In approving to offer the interim superintendent position to Bruce Anderson, the good work of the district can continue and we can proceed with a much longer process of hiring a permanent superintendent for the 2012-13 school year.?

In the coming months, the school board will detail the process for seeking, interviewing and hiring a permannent superintendent, a process that will be undertaken with input from community members.