Finalists announced for Wahluke School District superintendent

MATTAWA — Wahluke School Board members announced the finalists for school superintendent.

The three candidates are being interviewed this week, one each day from Tuesday through Thursday.

The candidates are current interim Wahluke superintendent Andy Harlow; Ed Murray, Laurens County School District 55 in Laurens, South Carolina; and Kelly Thorson, Highland School District in Cowiche, Wash.

Murray was interviewed Tuesday, Harlow is being interviewed Wednesday and Thorson will be interviewed Thursday.

Harlow took as interim superintendent after former superintendent Robert Eckert resigned at the end of the 2019-20 school year. Prior to that, he was principal at Wahluke Junior High since 2012. Harlow also has been a teacher and coach in the district.

Murray is the Director of Personalized Learning and Public Relations for Laurens County School District 55. He has been in Laurens since 2014, working in a number of administrative jobs. Prior to that, he was a teacher and administrator in South Carolina and California.

Currently, Thorson is the principal at Tieton Intermediate School in the Highland School District, where he’s been since 2015. He also worked as an administrator in Prosser and teacher and coach in Selah.

Each candidate spends the day in town, and meets with school board members, administrators and teachers, students, parents and classified staff, as well as district patrons. Board members are scheduled to decide before the end of February, with the new superintendent announced by mid-March.