Coldwater schools superintendent search down to four

Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter
·2 min read

COLDWATER — After sifting through nearly a dozen applications Monday night, the Coldwater Community Schools board selected four final candidates for its new superintendent for interviews on March 8 and 9.

The man selected will take over from current superintendent Terry Whelan when she retires effective June 30.

The finalist and interview times are:

  • 6 p.m. March 8, Dr. Paden Stalter, director of REAP, Lansing Public Schools

  • 7:30 p.m. March 8, Paul Flynn, superintendent in Sandusky, Michigan

  • 6 p.m. March 9, Dr. William Stitt, superintendent in Fremont, Indiana

  • 7:30 p.m. March 9, Jeff Terpenning, superintendent in Capac, Michigan

Six Coldwater school board members Monday night selected four candidates for March interviews to become the new superintendent.
Six Coldwater school board members Monday night selected four candidates for March interviews to become the new superintendent.

Jeff Terpenning, is now superintendent at Capac in St. Clair County. He started his teaching career in Centreville in 2004, and was a principal in Hillsdale from 2012 to 2017.

Nearby Fremont, Ind., superintendent, Still, 55, has been superintendent just across the state line since July 2016. Before that, the Western Michigan graduate was a school principal in South Haven public schools in Michigan.

Prior storyColdwater schools brings in consultant in superintendent search

Lansing school Principal Paden H. Stalter, 35, received his doctorate of Higher Education Administration from MSU in May 2022. He took over the $25 million REAP teacher development program.

Paul Flynn, a Saginaw Valley State University graduate became the Sandusky, Michigan, superintendent after he was a Yale principal in 2010.

Consultant Dave Killips presented the candidates for superintendent to the Coldwater Community School board Monday night.
Consultant Dave Killips presented the candidates for superintendent to the Coldwater Community School board Monday night.

Michigan Leadership Institute regional vice president Dave Killips is leading the consultants search team. He presented the list of candidates for the board to cut down to the finalist in an almost three hour closed session Monday night.

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Whelan announced her retirement at the Nov. 21 school board meeting.

Whelan came to the school system in June 2014 as financial officer. In May 2015, Dr. Tina Kerr resigned after five years as superintendent to take a job with the Michigan Association of School Administrators. Whelan was named superintendent that August.

— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater schools superintendent search down to four