The North Branch Area Public Schools’ (NBAPS) school board is pleased to announce it has selected Sara Paul as its next Superintendent of Schools. 

Paul, of Maplewood, is currently the Asst. Superintendent at White Bear Lake Area Schools. She formerly served as an Associate Superintendent at Minneapolis Public Schools, and a teacher and instructional leader at Independent School District 622, North St. Paul - Maplewood - Oakdale.

The selection of Paul comes after a review of 25 applications, from which the school board selected three candidates for interviews. The extensive interview process took place on April 2 and involved three committees that included school board members, staff, and community members. Those committees interviewed three candidates and the school board selected Paul and Christina Bemboom for follow-up interviews on April 9. 

The live-streams of the school board’s interviews, and follow-up interviews, with the candidates can be found at the NBAHS VIBE YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheVibeNBAHS

“Both candidates were exceptional and the school board was faced with a tough decision,” said School Board Chair Kirby Ekstrom. “Ultimately, the school board was very impressed with Sara Paul’s responses and experience around issues that most affect North Branch Area Public Schools. We are very excited to welcome Sara and look forward to working with her on behalf of our students, families, and community.”

The school board will now enter contract negotiations with Paul, and it is expected she will begin serving as NBAPS Superintendent of Schools on July 1, 2020.