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Platteville superintendent is finalist in Mount Horeb
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Platteville Public Schools superintendent Connie Valenza is one of four finalists for the same position with the Mount Horeb Area School District.

According to the Mount Horeb school district’s website, Valenza and the three other finalists were scheduled to have final interviews Monday and Tuesday, after eight semifinalists were interviewed Feb. 8–9. The Mount Horeb school board is scheduled to meet tonight to discuss the four candidates.

The other three finalists include Mineral Point Unified School District superintendent Luke Francois and former Boscobel Middle/High School principal Steve Salerno, the director of administrative and human services for the School District of Janesville. The other finalist is Madison Metropolitan School District director of advanced learning Daniel Keyser, former director of curriculum in the School District of Monroe.

Valenza came to Platteville in 2011 after serving as principal of Columbus High School. PPS is in the midst of a $16.6 million building project, to move first- and fourth-graders to Westview Elementary School and upgrade facilities at the school district’s other three schools.

Valenza’s term as superintendent has included principal changes at all of the district’s schools. Platteville High School teacher Jason Julius became Platteville Middle School principal as part of changes following a complaint with the U.S. Justice Department Office of Civil Rights. Julius replaced Lisa Finnegan, who now is the Westview principal after Don Shaw’s retirement. Finnegan is retiring at the end of the school year and will be replaced by former Neal Wilkins Early Learning Center principal ReNah Reuter, who became PPS’ pupil services director at the same time that Julius became PMS principal.

Tim Engh replaced Jeff Jacobson as PHS principal after Jacobson left to become the Dodgeville school superintendent.