Principal Greg Schwab was announced earlier today as a finalist for the position as assistant superintendent for Secondary Schools in Edmonds School District (ESD).

The assistant superintendent oversees all principals and other administrators working in ESD middle and high schools, along with other major employees.

The current Assistant Superintendent, Patrick Murphy, who was selected in July 2012, has been offered a job for the superintendent position at the Olympia School District. Shortly after he announced he would be leaving ESD, the job was posted and Schwab applied. Schwab also applied in 2012 for the same position and was made a finalist then too but was not selected. The application consists of acquiring five letters of recommendation, multiple essays and on-demand writing assignments, interviews and a PowerPoint presentation addressing the prompt “how to improve student learning from a systems approach.”

From there, they selected their finalists, Schwab as one of them and two others, one from the Snohomish School District and one from the Bellevue School District.

Schwab enrolled in Washington State University this last fall to work toward his superintendent certification. Schwab said he thinks he was not selected as assistant superintendent in 2012 because he did not have, nor was he working toward this certification, a requirement for the position.

Schwab applied because this as an opportunity to grow as an educator. He said he always looks for the next challenge and the position will help him on his way to his current goal, to be a superintendent.

He also said that he has a feeling of ambivalence toward the idea of assistant superintendent, as it means he will have to leave MTHS. If he is selected, the position of principal at MTHS will be posted and Schwab and that new person will begin July 1.

There will be a Community Forum held tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Edmonds Woodway High School, with brief introductions and a Q&A with the applicants and community members.