An interviewing committee has narrowed down the candidates for a new Whitefish High School principal to one, school district superintendent Jerry House said last week.

A final decision could be made at the school district board's regular July 14 meeting, when the board will look at the committee's selection.

Twelve candidates responded to the nationally-advertised position, House said.

"We had candidates from across the U.S., from New Hampshire, Ohio, Idaho, Minnesota," he said.

House said he screened the applications and eliminated four candidates. A committee of staff and teachers then rated the remaining eight candidates.

The committee looked for a candidate's strengths as a structural and curriculum leader, and for their ability to communicate with staff, students and the public.

"They had to have a minimum of five years experience as a principal, and they need to have the skills," House said. "I selected the top three, and an interviewing committee looked at them."

The three candidates — from Montana, Washington and Minnesota — traveled to Whitefish, and the seven-person committee interviewed them in person on June 23, House said.

Two of the three candidates were already certified to be principals in Montana and were already interested in working in Northwest Montana, House said. They had also done some screening of their own before applying for the Whitefish job.

"I really like a candidate who interviews you — it's a two-way street," House said. "It shows their level of interest in the job."

The committee narrowed down its selection process to one candidate. The school district board will review the committee's decisions on July 14.

Kent Paulson, who served as principal at Whitefish High School for five years, announced his retirement at the end of the school year.

A Plentywood-native, Paulson had a 36-year career in education. He was recently named the first full-time commissioner for the Frontier Conference, which includes Carroll College, Montana Tech and the University of Great Falls.