For the Reporter

The Auburn School Board has selected two finalists – Michael Newman and Alan Spicciati – for district superintendent.

Newman is deputy superintendent of business and operations for Auburn schools, and Spicciati is chief accountability officer for the Highline School District.

Newman and Spicciati each will spend a day in the district next week for talks, a tour of selected schools, a meet-the-candidate community forum and a final interview.

Newman will be available from 4 to 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 20, for the forum in the James P. Fugate Administration boardroom, 915 4th St. NE. Spicciati will be available from 4 to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 21.

The public is encouraged to attend the community forums.

The candidates will speak approximately halfway through the session for about 30 minutes.

The board is scheduled to select the next superintendent at its June 8 meeting.

The new superintendent, who begins his contract July 1, will succeed Kip Herren, who is retiring after 38-plus years of public instruction. Herren has been superintendent since 2008.

The board hired the Puget Sound Educational Service District to lead the search for a new district leader.

“We had many applicants and were impressed with the quality of the candidates we evaluated,” said board president Carol Seng. “Through the public input process, we identified characteristics that guided our choice of these finalists, both of whom are exceptional candidates. Our next step will be to determine which finalist is the best match for our district and can guide our vision to have students globally-prepared for career, college and life.”

About the candidates

Newman is a graduate of Central Washington University, with a major in vocational education. He earned his master’s degree from Oregon State University, and his superintendent certification at Seattle University. He has served as a teacher, assistant principal and administrator in the Auburn School District.

Spicciati is a graduate of the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, with a double major in music education and performance. He earned his master’s degree from the University of Washington’s Danforth Educational Leadership Program, and his superintendent certification and doctor of education at Seattle Pacific University. He has served as a teacher, principal and administrator at Highline Public Schools and in New York before coming to Highline.