The Kent School District Superintendent search has been narrowed to two finalists.

During interviews Feb. 6 and 7 the Kent School Board pared down the applicants to Tim Mills of Colorado and Edward Lee Vargas of California.

Kent Board of Directors President Jim Berrios said Sunday morning that the board is very pleased with both finalists, each of whom is a former Superintendent of the Year in their respective states.

We’re just ecstatic,” Berrios said in a phone interview. “Either one of the candidates could be our next superintendent and no one would be disappointed.”

The district is hosting three community forums Thursday to get feedback from the public and staff.

Mills and Vargas are vying to replace current superintendent Dr. Barbara Grohe, who is retiring at the end of this school year.

According to Berrios, both candidates have the background, experience and track record to lead the district and the board is counting on “candid feedback” from the pubic to help make the final decision.

Berrios said during a search like this, one candidate usually stands out during the process, but that was not the case during the search.

“These guys, they have qualities that will be a great fit for us and it’s really hard to say who is No. 1 and who is No. 2,” he said.

Mills is the 2009 Colorado Superintendent of the Year and is presently the head of the 22,300-student Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 in Grand Junction, Colo.

Vargas is presently the superintendent in residence/executive advisor of Davis Innovations, Inc. Prior to that he was superintendent in residence of the Stupski Foundation and served as head of the 22,300-student Hacienda La Puente Unified School District outside Los Angeles from 2001-2006.

He was named California Superintendent of the Year in 2006. Vargas also previously worked for the Seattle School District and his daughter attends the University of Washington.

Berrios said both candidates were knowledgeable on issues of budget, human resources and stressed in their interviews commitments to diversity and technology, two characteristics important to the board and community, based on previous work sessions.

Berrios also said both candidates expressed an interest to move to the Pacific Northwest and were very interested in working in Kent, which Berrios said speaks well of the district and its reputation.

“They’ve made that real clear,” he said.

The two finalists were selected from a several-month process during which the district received approximately 150 inquiries into the position and 38 applications.

Consultants from Ray and Associates helped narrow the field and the board of directors selected five candidates to interview. Four of the candidates accepted the interviews and met with the board over the weekend, at which time the board selected the two finalists.

Berrios stressed that the board was equally pleased with both candidates and has not yet made a decision. Berrios said the board was hoping for “candid feedback” from staff and community members following the three community forum sessions Thursday.

“We’re going to wait and see what people have to say about them,” he said.

The board plans to follow-up with site visits and expects to make a final decision by the March 11 board meeting.