DAVENPORT, Iowa-- After nearly four months without a permanent superintendent, the Davenport School District is nearing the end of its search.
The district has been facing several challenges over the past few years, from budget cuts to special education citations.
Candidate for the job William Schneden is all too familiar with these issues. He's the current Davenport Associate Superintendent.
"There have been a triad of administrative actions. we work together on a regular basis," he says. "I think it's really important the next superintendent stay on track with the plan in front of us."
Schneden says by sticking with the current plan, the district and parents will start to see changes in the classroom.
"I think you can talk a lot, but when you can start seeing action and progress, I think people start to follow a little bit more," he says.
Eric Knost is the current superintendent at Rockwood School District in Eureka, Missouri. He says the district can move forward by focusing on relationships between the district and the community.
"I've had a lot of success building relationships and helping kids thrive," he says. "And I think I could be a good fit."
He says the district's plan moving forward past its present challenges should be influenced by parents, teachers and students.
"I want to engage the right people to talk about and give input so it can be a community decision and not a superintendent decision and not a board of education decision," he says.
The final candidate, Robert Kobylski, says transparency is critical making Davenport Schools better than ever. He's the current superintendent for Nicolet High School and Fox Point-Bayside School District in Glendale, Wisconsin.
"We have to take a look and have a conversation with our community to develop a long-term plan to get us past this short-term turbulence," he says. "It's very important that the district is very transparent. what I know, the community should know. And there should be no secrets within the school system."
The School District says it could make a decision on who to hire as early as next week. However, a public announcement wouldn't be made until a contract is finalized.