Remaining superintendent candidate to meet reporters, public - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports

MADISON (WKOW) -- The remaining finalist candidate to become Madison schools superintendent will field questions from reporters and then the public Thursday night.

Chicago schools administrator Jennifer Cheatham holds a news briefing at the Monona Terrace Convention Center, to be followed by a community forum.

Cheatham became the only finalist for the job to lead the 25,000 student district, when Springfield, Illinois schools superintendent Walter Milton withdrew his name, following controversy over his qualifications.

In a letter to Madison school board members, Executive Director Michael Johnson of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County urges them to consider making an employment offer to Cheatham Thursday, if she demonstrates her track record with student achievement and other educational goals is exemplary. But Johnson's letter also said school board members should start the superintendent search over from scratch, if Cheatham fails to prove a superior candidate.

A source close to the superintendent search told 27 News Cheatham is also a favored candidate in the Racine school district's search for a superintendent.