Saline Area Schools Names Candidates for Superintendent Interviews

A list of six candidates has been selected to be interviewed to be the next superintendent of Saline Area Schools. The school district put out its list of names on April 23.

The Saline Area Schools Board of Education has identified the following six candidates for first round interviews:

• Alexander Cintron, Ph.D. , Director, Detroit Public Schools Community District, MI
• Martin DuBois, M.A., Superintendent, Reading Community Schools, MI
• Rachel Kowalski, Ed.D., Superintendent, Colon Community School District, MI
• Tracey Lowder (II), MA.E., Principal/Superintendent(former), Portage Community Schools/Vandercook Lake Schools, MI
• Nicholas Steinmetz, M.A., Superintendent, Madison School District, MI
• Harold Yearwood, Ed.D., Superintendent(former), Columbia Missouri, MO

This process began when current SAS Superintendent Dr. Stephen Laatsch announced he would be retiring at the end of the school year.

The school board has employed facilitator Jay Bennett, MASB, Assistant Director, Executive Search Services, to facilitate the district’s process and search. To help the board prepare for the interviews, Bennett gave a presentation at the April 22 school board meeting about moving into the first round of interviews. His talk ranged from what should be the board’s goals to how to conduct the interviews, which in the first round will see the candidates have the same questions given to them a day before the interviews that will be held in an open meeting.

Here is the interview schedule:

Tuesday, April 29, 2025 

6pm- Harold Yearwood, Ed.D., Superintendent(former), Columbia Missouri, MO

7pm- Alexander Cintron, Ph.D., Director, Detroit Public Schools Community District, MI  

8pm- Tracey Lowder (II), MA.E., Principal/Superintendent(former), Portage Community  Schools/Vandercook Lake Schools, MI  

Wednesday, April 30, 2025 

6pm- Martin DuBois, M.A., Superintendent, Reading Community Schools, MI

7pm- Nicholas Steinmetz, M.A., Superintendent, Madison School District, MI

8pm- Rachel Kowalski, Ed.D., Superintendent, Colon Community School District, MI 

Interviews will be held in the Liberty School Board Room, 7265 N Ann Arbor St, Saline, MI 48176. Staff and the community are encouraged to attend. There will be an opportunity to fill out interview  feedback forms after each of the interviews. Copies of the feedback forms will be presented to the  board.

Photo: Screenshot from Saline Area School YouTube video of Jay Bennett talking to the Saline school board on April 22.