The process of hiring a replacement for retiring Cassopolis Public Schools Superintendent Tracy Hertsel began at a special meeting Monday.

Four of seven candidates were interviewed by the school board at Squires Education Center.

Each candidate was interviewed for an hour. They were each asked a series of 12 questions with follow-up questions from board members if they so desired. The candidates were then allowed to ask some questions of the board.

Tina Lawson, principal at Blossomland Learning Center; Dave VanLue, currently Ross Beatty Jr./Sr. High principal; Mark Cramer, principal at Mendon Middle/High School and Pat Weckel, principal at Brandywine High School, were interviewed Monday.

Lawson, who lives in Vandalia, is a Cassopolis graduate who has spent 13 years at Blossomland Learning Center, including the last seven as principal.

She is a graduate of Indiana State University.

When asked how she would be visible as superintendent, Lawson said that is very important.

“Attending games and events that are going on and being visible in the, buildings all the time is important she said. “People should know who you are. Even the students should be able to name you. Making sure you have those interactions is going to be a big step.”

VanLue is a graduate of Niles High School. He has been principal at Cassopolis for two and a half years.

He is a graduate of Michigan State University, Bethel College and Western Michigan University.

He worked with the Lewis Cass Intermediate School District at the Northpointe Center in Dowagiac for nine years.

Like Lawson, VanLue has a background in special education.

VanLue said communication is the key for the board and the superintendent.

“The board and the superintendent need to be on the same page,” he said. “If you tell one board member something you tell them all. You do not individualize and you work as a team.”

Kramer, who lives in Three Rivers, is originally from Schoolcraft.

He attended Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Grand Valley State University and Western Michigan University.

He has been the principal at Mendon for eight years.

He has also worked at Battle Creek Lakeview, Gull Lake and Vicksburg.

Kramer has been an alternative education teacher as well as a technology director.

He also said that communication is key for the board and superintendent.

“I have seen a variety of situations with school boards in the past, some of them good and some of them bad,” Kramer said. “Most of them come down to the level of communication and discussions that take place between the superintendent and the board. If the superintendent does not work on that relationship with the board members then situations tend to arise.

“Because when there is a void in communication it can tend to create problems. Things get jumbled up or filled in and information comes out incorrectly. So one of the biggest things a superintendent can do is keep the communication with the board, keep them informed and understand what the board wants.”

Weckel is a graduate of Dowagiac Union High School.

He graduated from Western Michigan University and Grand Valley State University. He has also attended Michigan Leadership Institute and earned his superintendent endorsement.

When asked how he would be visible in the community, Weckel said pretty much would live at the school.

“My kids are in college now. My wife owns her own business so she works 70 to 80 hours a week,” he said. “I love the school. There is always something going on. Anybody who needs to talk to me most likely will be at the high school. I do not miss much. I am one of the few principals that consistently go to the festivals for the bands and choirs. I try to make myself as visible as possible.”

The board interviews continued Wednesday night with Angela Piazza, Ph.D., who is currently the assistant superintendent at Goshen Community Schools in Indiana and an adjunct professer at Bethel College; Timothy Donahue, who is currently the superintendent at Potterville Public Schools and Corey Helgesen, Ph.D., who is currently the superintendent and K-12 principal at Litchfield Community Schools.

A fourth candidate withdrew from consideration Tuesday.