The Anoka-Hennepin School District is one step closer to finding its permanent superintendent. The school board on Wednesday unanimously chose to advance Sartell-St. Stephen School District Superintendent Jeffrey Ridlehoover and Osseo Superintendent Cory McIntyre to the next round of interviews, set to take place Dec. 6 and 7.
Board Chair Marci Anderson said Ridlehoover and McIntyre rose to the top of the list due to their experience working in the district. Ridlehoover was a chemistry teacher at Champlin Park High and was an administrative intern for the district.
McIntyre was the executive director for student services and an assistant superintendent.
Anderson said in an interview that she believes existing relationships Ridlehoover and McIntyre have with current staff will help them hit the ground running and worked heavily in their favor.
"If we didn't have as many new administrators, that would not have been as important, I think," she said.
The Anoka-Hennepin district enrolls about 38,000 students.
Ridlehoover has led the Sartell-St. Stephen district for a little more than a year. He was previously the assistant superintendent in Mounds View from July 2017 until July 2021. Ridlehoover was the principal of Mounds View High for four years before that and spent nine years as the principal at Wayzata High.
He began his career in education with a one-year stint as the chemistry teacher at Lakeville High before taking the same position at Champlin Park High for four years. Ridlehoover was an administrative intern at the district offices for one year as well. He's worked as an adjunct professor at Hamline University since 2014.
