The unplanned delay, which school officials say will not push back the projected March hiring of a new superintendent, now has the application deadline at midnight Jan. 20.
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"The last update the (school) board received was that we had eight very qualified candidates, but that number is likely to change," said Lakota Board of Education President Ben Dibble.
The top job at Ohio’s eighth largest school district would appear to be a plum position.
Lakota’s 16,500 students and 22 schools make it not only the largest district in Butler County, but also the largest suburban school system in Southwest Ohio.
Moreover, two of Ohio’s fastest-growing and most prosperous townships — West Chester and Liberty — comprise the expansive 63-square-mile Lakota district.
“The reason the board decided to extend the deadline to allow these potential candidates a little bit more flexibility. The extension will not impact the timing of the rest of the process,” said Dibble.
“We are getting a very good response to the position posting. At this point we do not have a final number because several potential candidates are interested but have not finalized their decision as to whether to apply,” he said.
Lakota spokeswoman Lauren Boettcher said “we extended the deadline simply at the recommendation of the search firm and because our original selection timeline allowed for some flexibility.”
“The whole purpose is to give candidates still considering the opportunity a bit more time to join the pool of candidates who have shown interest so far,” said Boettcher.
A final list of candidates may not be immediately available after the Jan. 20 midnight deadline passes, she said.
“It’s possible that a few applicants will be officially added in the days following, once all their materials are received. A person is not an official applicant until all required documents have been received, and I guess it’s not required that all materials be in hand by the official deadline,” said Boettcher.
Lakota's former Assistant Superintendent Robb Vogelmann was appointed by the school board into an acting superintendent capacity in August after the board granted former Superintendent Karen Mantia medical leave.
Vogelmann has told the Journal-News he is a candidate for the job but declined further comment.
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