Tea spent three of the last six days meeting the finalists for the job of Tea Area Superintendent.
Candidates Jon Green of Sioux Falls, Jerry Schutz of Neenah, Wisc. and Bruce Carrier of Presho met with five focus groups during their meet and greet days: Thursday, Monday and Tuesday. The school board conducted interviews in the evening.
Candidates met teachers, students, administrators, community members and the school board over the course of the day.
The School Board narrowed their search to the three finalists at their May 20 meeting, consultant Bob Neely said. The district received 23 applications for the job, which Neely said was more than he’d expected.
“It’s kind of a wide group of folks,” Neely said.

Jon Green
Green, 60, spent 10 years as superintendent for the South Dakota School for the Deaf in Sioux Falls. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from San Jose State University in San Jose, Cali. and University of Hawaii and a doctorate in administration from the University of Pittsburgh. He also studied at the University of South Dakota and Wayne State University in Wayne, Neb.
The professor has spent the last few years at the Sanford U.S.D. Medical Center in Sioux Falls, where he works as a research professor. He has a daughter and son children in the Sioux Falls School District.
After a few years in the research world, Green said he’s ready to return to the world of administration. Tea has a great reputation for caring about its residents and taking initiative to improve the community, he said.
“To be honest with you, I’ve never heard one bad thing about Tea,” Green said. “I’ve always heard that it’s a good community and a dynamic place.”

Jerry Schutz
Schutz, 50, has been the superintendent in Neenah, a city of 25,000, for the past four years. Before that, he was superintendent in Keio, Wisc. for three years.
The administrator went to Cardinal Stretch University in Milwaukee and to the University of Wisconsin in Madison, was a member of the armed forces and worked in radio before becoming an educator.
The married father of four grown children said he’s excited at the prospect of working in a new, changing school district. A young district has the opportunity to brand itself in a way that will leave an impact for generations to come.
His interest in Tea also is based partly on family concerns. He has four sons and one daughter. His son is the pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Sioux Falls.
“It’s a wonderful community, we’ve visited many times,” Schutz said. “My wife and I do miss our grandchildren.”

Bruce Carrier
Carrier, 60, is the long-serving superintendent of the Lyman School District, headquartered in Presho. Prior to the start of his 15-year stint as the boss in Lyman, he was a superintendent/principal at Dupree.
The Houston, Minn. native graduated from Winona State University in Minnesota and got a master’s degree in health and physical education. He later earned his administrator’s credentials through study at Northern State University in Aberdeen and a specialist’s degree from the University of South Dakota.
Carrier and his wife of 35 years have four grown daughters, one of whom works in Sioux Falls at the Sanford Children’s Care Hospital.
The idea of tackling tough challenges for a new school district appeals to Carrier. The Lyman district was facing financial problems when he arrived, but it now has a budget surplus.
“The location is wonderful, but more important than that, the challenges in the district excite me,” Carrier said. “There’s a lot of opportunity there.
The school board may choose to make an offer to one of the candidates on May 4.
If that candidate accepts the job, the hire would become official on May 11 at a regular school board meeting.