For the second time in five months, the candidate chosen for SHS principal has decided not to take the job at this time.
Melissa Thompson, assistant principal at Waukesha South High School, would have been the new principal but changed her mind to finish research for her dissertation.
Thompson, who applied for the job in October, said she didn’t want to have to be gone for three weeks at the beginning of her new job to do her research, which she didn’t know she would have to do when she applied. She and Shorewood Schools Superintendent Blane McCann couldn’t come to an agreement about the timeframe, she added, but did agree that it wasn’t the right time for her to start as principal.
“I’m a little disappointed but I don’t want to hire someone just to hire someone,” said McCann. “Sometimes the face of the school district is seen in the face of the high school principal.”

McCann said that Thompson was a very good candidate with a strong instructional background, and that he thought she would be good in this leadership role. He also said that he thought she would continue as a candidate.
Deb Taylor, the district’s director of instruction, said that the school planned to post the position again in March, with the goal of having a new principal for next year by July 1. McCann said that he expects more applicants for the new posting because of the timing.
Thompson said that she was “excited about the prospect to continue as a candidate in the future,” and that she had a “very strong interest” in applying again in March.
Thompson also said that she was attracted to Shorewood because it had “such a strong tradition of community support for the school system.” She also mentioned that she had grown up in a community similar to Shorewood.
Thompson was chosen from among four candidates who applied for the job, one of whom was the candidate who backed out early in September. A committee of parents, teachers, administrators, and students interviewed the applicants and helped make a recommendation. The committee was split into two interview teams who asked the candidates questions separately and then discussed the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate.
McCann said that he didn’t simply go with the committee’s second choice because there wasn’t a consensus.
SHS parent and committee member Dan Banda said that his priorities when looking for a principal were someone who had a good track record and who had been active in the classroom and in the community. He also said that innovation was important and that the new principal should “not be intimidated by the demands of the job.”
Meanwhile, the triumvirate of Assistant Principal Tim Kenney, McCann, and Taylor continue to share the administrative responsibilities of the school. Taylor said she thought the job was manageable and that it hadn’t changed much from when she first started working with McCann and Kenney earlier in the school year.
Still, everyone’s goal is a new principal. “The search definitely needs to continue until we find the right fit for Shorewood,” said Banda.