Multiple candidates for the Wenatchee School District superintendent position have withdrawn their applications or declined to apply upon learning of “governance challenges” within the district, according to a letter sent from HYA consultants Hank Harris and Barbara Young to the Wenatchee School Board. Candidates were also allegedly influenced by a rumor that the board would only hire a Latina superintendent.

   The letter, dated December 31, stated that the district has “lost some viable candidates.” The letter also addresses the board’s request for candidates to sign a waiver allowing access to personnel files from each district in which they have previously worked. The consultants cite this as being a red flag for prospects in the letter, saying “they could potentially see it as an example of a Board dynamic that is undesirable.”

In an email to The Apple Leaf, board president Sunny Hemphill declined to comment on the process of the superintendent search.

“At this point, I feel it best to do precisely what our consultants have advised, which is not to give out information about the search,” she said. “The search is going very well and I am looking forward to the next step of the process.”