Shelley Redinger withdraws from consideration as Scottsdale schools chief

For now at least, Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Shelley Redinger isn’t going anywhere.

Redinger was one of three finalists for the top position in the Scottsdale Unified School District, but she said Saturday morning that she was withdrawing from consideration.

Redinger’s decision – made late Friday night, she said – came after eight hours of round-robin interviews by board members and committees representing various stakeholder groups, including teachers, students, parents and community members, district leaders and staff.

Late Friday, the Scottsdale, Arizona, school board went into executive session, but recessed after three hours. The board reconvened Saturday morning, and announced later in the day that it had selected Scott Menzel, the superintendent of Washtenaw Intermediate School District in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The other finalist was Kimberly Guerin, Scottsdale’s assistant superintendent for educational services.

Friday’s interviews were closed to the media, but Redinger said they went well.

“I had a great day of interviews yesterday,” Redinger told The Spokesman-Review in a statement Saturday morning. “Scottsdale is a very nice district.

“However, after much deliberation, my husband and I have decided that the fit isn’t good enough for us to leave Spokane. So, I have withdrawn my candidacy such that SUSD can focus on the other candidates as they choose their next leader. I appreciate being a part of the process and wish them nothing but the best.”

Redinger also is a candidate for superintendent in Nashville, Tennessee.

The new Scottsdale superintendent would assume control July 1 for retiring superintendent John Kriekard.

Redinger, who has led Spokane Public Schools since 2012, had been contacted about the position by McPherson & Jacobson LLC, a national headhunter hired by the Scottsdale district.

“They wanted an innovative risk-taker, and that’s me,” Redinger said earlier this month.