Mike Johnson, principal of South Whidbey High School, is one of the six semifinalists for the superintendent position at the Coupeville School District.

The Coupeville School Board will interview each of the semifinalists during executive sessions that take place today, May 5, at the Coupeville Elementary School staff room. Eighteen people applied for the position.

In addition to Johnson, five other finalists are:

• Jay Rowell, superintendent of the La Grande School District, La Grande, Ore.

• Bette Bullock, superintendent of the Lake County School District, Leadville, Colo.

• Alan McDonald, principal of Centennial Elementary School, Mount Vernon School District.

• Thomas Churchill, former superintendent of Entiat School District, Entiat, Wash.

• Patty Page, assistant superintendent of the Kelso School District, Kelso, Wash.

The school board will winnow the candidate field down to three finalists after interviews today. The finalists will return to the school district for a full day that includes meetings, school tours and another interview with the school board.

The community will also have a chance to question each candidate by attending community forums that take place May 7 through May 9. The forums begin at 7 p.m. each night at the Coupeville Elementary School multipurpose room. The forum will start with a candidate spending 10 minutes talking about their qualifications and then the remainder of the hour-and-a-half meeting will be devoted to community questions.

The Coupeville School District set a tight, May 11, deadline to find a qualified replacement for Bill Myhr, who resigned last month after spending five years as superintendent. He is moving to Arizona to become superintendent of the 2,500-student Fountain Hills School District. Myhr’s last day at Coupeville schools is June 30.