Eau Claire (WQOW) - You oversee 14-hundred employees and have a budget of well over 100-million dollars. That's an important job. Monday, the public met one of the two finalists for that job.
The search for a new Eau Claire superintendent is down to Dr. Mary Ann Hardebeck and Dr. Mark Mitrovich. Monday, a public forum was held for Dr. Hardebeck.
She began her career as a reading and English teacher and now she's the assistant superintendent for a district of 66-thousand students in Virginia.
Monday, she toured schools in Eau Claire and met with different administrators.
Monday, about fifty people showed up at Memorial High School where the forum was held. Community members asked questions, and there was a wide variety of topics brought up including inquiries about her pervious experiences, and how she would work with a state that has been divided because of the collective bargaining changes. One of the questions that came up a couple of times was about commitment. People wanted to know whether she would be here for the long haul.
Dr. Mary Ann Hardebeck says, "Well I certainly wouldn't apply for a job without the intention of staying. So you know, I am looking forward to being in this community and I would make a commitment to stay."
"I've been hoping to step into a superintendency, it would be a step up for me. The more I found out about Eau Claire, the more impressed I was, it's a beautiful area. It seems to be a community that places a great value on education," says Hardebeck.
Deborah Lewis, an Eau Claire resident in attendance says, "I like how personable she was. She seemed to answer a wide range of questions. I'm impressed with her qualifications, in that she was a teacher for twenty years."
Afterwards, those in attendance could fill out a feedback form that will be given to the school board for review.
The second forum is Tuesday night, featuring Dr. Mark Mitrovich. It also starts at 7p-m and is being held at Memorial High School.
Dr. Mitrovich has spent the past three years as the superintendent of a school in Illinois.
The school board plans to hold a meeting on Wednesday night to talk about the finalists and could make a decision that night.
