The Highline School Board has named three finalists in its search for Highline’s next superintendent, including the interim superintendent of the state’s largest school district.

Dr. Susan Enfield indicated recently she is not interested in becoming Seattle’s permanent superintendent although she is reportedly highly regarded in the district.

Sources said Enfield was upset with meddling by Seattle School Board members. The Highline board has been generally supportive of interim superintendent Alan Spicciati and former superintendent John Welch, who left the district to become superintendent of the Puget Sound Education Service District, although board member Susan Goding has often publicly voiced frustration about district curriculum and has pushed for more rapid changes.

Enfield has also applied for the superintendent position in Bellevue, lamong the state’s largest districts.

Other Highline finalists are Dr. David Engle, who led school transformation efforts in Seattle Public Schools, and Dr. Joshua Garcia, Federal Way Public Schools assistant superintendent.

As part of the interview process, each candidate will spend a full day in Highline, meeting staff, parents, and community members.

Each day will culminate in a public forum, where the candidate will answer questions from the audience.

Public forums will be held at the Burien City Council Chambers at 400 S.W. 152nd St. on Feb. 22, 23, and 24, from 6 - 7:15 p.m.

People who can’t be present at the forums can watch it live on channel 21 in Burien or on the Internet.

Viewers will be able to send in questions via email or Twitter. Video of the forums will also be posted online, so people can watch it later.

Each candidate’s day-long visit in Highline will include a breakfast with community leaders; a school visit; meetings with principals, senior leaders, and an advisory committee made up of staff, parents, and community members; and a final interview with the school board.

The board will review feedback generated in the public forums and by the other groups who have met the candidate before making a final decision.

The board expects to announce the new superintendent by March 1.

Enfield came to Seattle as chief academic officer from Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver, WA where she served as the deputy superintendent from 2006-2009.

Before moving to Washington, she was the director of teaching and Learning for Portland Public Schools. Prior to coming to Portland, Dr. Enfield served as the bureau director for Teaching and learning support for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Dr. Enfield is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and earned master’s degrees in education from Stanford University and Harvard University.

She also earned a doctorate in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University with a concentration in the Urban Superintendents Program.

Engle served as the executive director of Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ and prior to that, as superintendent of North Platte Public School District in Nebraska from 2008 to 2011.

Dr. Engle has been a high school principal in Bellingham Public Schools, Seattle Public Schools and Bellevue Public Schools. He mentored teams of principals as a facilitator for the University of Washington’s Center for Educational Leadership.

Dr. Engle is a graduate of the University of Washington and holds a master’s degree in Computer Education from St. Martin’s University in Lacey and a doctoral degree in Educational Administration from Seattle Pacific University.

Garcia was an executive director in Federal Way with responsibility for instruction, curriculum, assessment and supervision of secondary schools.

Dr. Garcia previously served as principal at Federal Way’s Todd Beamer High School and assistant principal at White River High School.

He currently is an adjunct professor in the University of Washington’s principal leadership program. From 2009 to 2011, he served as president of Washington State Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Dr. Garcia is a graduate of Washington State University and earned a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Heritage University in Toppenish, Washington. He holds a doctoral degree in Leadership from Seattle University.