ELY – The Ely School District continues to struggle to find a new superintendent, but the acting superintendent, Teresa Knife Chief, remains on the job, contrary to published reports.

Knife Chief, meanwhile, is no longer a candidate for the position of interim superintendent for the 2015-2016 school year, according to board chairman Ray Marsnik.

He said this week that Knife Chief withdrew from consideration for the position, but will remain as acting superintendent “until the interim position is filled.” He said she has been working about one day per week since mid-July and will continue those duties for the foreseeable future. “She did not quit,” he said.

The school board will hold a special meeting Thursday evening, after the Timberjay’s Wednesday presstime, to consider a second pool of applicants for the position. The application period ended on July 31.

School officials confirmed the district had heard from three new applicants for the vacancy, created earlier this summer after Alexis Leitgeb left the job. “There may be more candidates,” he said. “I will find that out later this week and we hope to schedule interviews for next week. It is our hope to have an interim superintendent in place for the start of the school year.

School directors interviewed Knife Chief for the position on July 20. A second applicant, George Linthicum, of Arlee, Mont., declined the offer to be interviewed for the position.

Some directors were uncomfortable with filling the position after only one interview and decided on a 3-2 vote to repost the position with a change in qualifications - five years experience preferred rather than required.

Following Knife Chief’s interview, in which she answered 19 questions from the board, Director Rochelle Sjoberg praised her responses, but said she did not want to be in hurry “just to be filling this position.”

Sjoberg suggested adjusting the qualifications for the position from having a required five years of superintendent experience to just preferring experience in the position. She asked to change the qualifications and advertise the position for another week. “I think that is just doing due diligence on our part,” she said.

One applicant in the original posting round was disqualified from consideration because of the lack of experience.

“I can give you a lot of examples where principals moved into a superintendent position,” Marsnik said at that meeting. “We did it twice here with our last two principals. They had no superintendent experience. Gilbert and Hermantown just filled from within.”

Director Scott Kellerman was in favor of hiring Knife Chief. “I could give her an opportunity. That’s my feeling right now. I don’t think it is fair to string her along. She has a job that she likes. What message does that (re-advertising the position) give to her?” he asked.

Knife Chief lives on the Bois Forte Reservation near Tower and works for the tribe as a family support coordinator. Previously she was superintendent for St. Louis Count Schools - ISD 2142, and Nett Lake schools. She holds a current superintendent’s license with the state.