By Sheila Corson
Chronicle staff

     TONASKET - The school board has narrowed down the candidates for superintendent to Roger Samples and Paul Turner.
     Turner, 49, comes from Columbia School District in Hunters, where kindergarten through 12th are housed in one building with one teacher per grade, he said.
     He started teaching in 1994 in Bridgeport, where he also coached girls' basketball.
     Education is a second career for Turner, he said, but the community and board appreciated his other experience in construction and as a millwright, according to discussion March 17 at a community-school board meeting.
     Turner said he loved the area as a teacher in Bridgeport, and had been waiting for a good opportunity to return to the area, which the community appreciated. He said he was ready to "put down roots and grow with Tonasket."
     As a teacher in Bridgeport, Turner learned some Spanish and got to know the Hispanic community. In Hunters, he interacts with native Americans, working with the Spokane Tribe of Indians on addressing student issues.
     That showed him as the most experienced with diversity, community members said.
     Other positives were his vision for programs, emphasis on collaboration and his personability, according to Tuesday night's discussion.
     Samples, 60, impressed the community and board during his interview March 16 with a wide variety of educational background. He has been principal of all three levels and has taught at multiple levels.
     Of all the candidates, he has the most experience in education, board President Catherine Stangland said. He is assistant superintendent in Bethel School District.
     The community also liked Samples' variety of background – he has owned a business and been a research biologist and a heavy equipment operator, according to discussion Monday night.
     One of the major things that stuck out for both the community and board was Samples’ desire to move to Tonasket specifically since he has had his eye on the town for some time, Stangland said.
     Other positives were Samples' emphasis on data-driven decisions, ability to build relationships, collaborative work and focus on students, Stangland said.
     Turner will have a tour of the district March 23, and Samples will tour March 25. They will visit the buildings, talk with staff and teachers and eat dinner with the board.
     Both days will include a community meeting from 7:30-9 p.m. in the school board room at the district office.
     The board and community also interviewed Dwight Remick, Ritzville, and Marcus Morgan, Chewelah.