Blue Valley schools talk to candidates for superintendent job

The Blue Valley school board on Tuesday went behind closed doors at an Overland Park hotel to interview superintendent candidates.

The board has selected five candidates for the job, and Tuesday was the first round of interviews.

School officials were not certain how many of the candidates would be interviewed Tuesday. And they did not release the names of any of the candidates to keep their interest in the district confidential.

Blue Valley is one of the largest school districts on the Kansas side of the state line, with more than 22,000 students and 1,800 teachers. The district began its search for a new superintendent last summer when Tom Trigg left to lead the Highland Park School District in suburban Dallas.

Since last June, the district has been led on an interim basis by Al Hanna, the former deputy superintendent.

A new superintendent is expected to be named by spring.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 3:44 PM.