WAVERLY — The Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District recently announced three finalists in its search for the district’s next superintendent, including current East Marshall Superintendent Anthony “Tony” Ryan and North Tama Superintendent David Hill.

The other hopeful is Tipton Superintendent Jason Wester. The Waverly-Shell Rock CSD spans three counties — Bremer, Butler and Black Hawk. Last school year, the district had a total served enrollment of roughly 2,278 students. The facilities include a high school, an alternative school, a middle school and four elementary schools.

Ryan has served East Marshall since 2016 and was a finalist for the superintendency at the Benton Community School District last year. He holds an education specialist degree from Drake University and a PK-12 superintendent certification. Previously, he served as superintendent of the Centerville and Akron-Westfield school districts.

A press release from the Waverly-Shell Rock school district described his credentials as follows.

“As superintendent and director of special education in the East Marshall CSD, Ryan has successfully reversed the multi-year downward trend of the district’s unspent authorized carryover budget into a stabilized upward trend,” it reads. “Additionally, he has served on the School Administrators of Iowa’s annual conference professional development planning committee.”

Hill, who serves at 3/4 time, was hired as North Tama’s superintendent in 2015. From 2016-2020, he was also the superintendent of neighboring Gladbrook-Reinbeck under a sharing agreement. In 2022, Hill was announced as a finalist for the Union Community School District’s superintendent vacancy, where he previously worked as a principal.

According to the same W-SR release, Hill has “helped improve North Tama’s financial position while adding programming and new student opportunities, in addition to leading a successful bond referendum election with 65 percent supermajority voter approval.”

As a next step, the school board and stakeholder interview teams will conduct final interviews with each of the three finalists on Thursday, Feb. 1. The board then plans to discuss the candidates and reach a final decision soon after the formal interviews.

The next superintendent will begin leading Waverly-Shell Rock effective July 1.