The Blaine County School District board of trustees approved Tuesday the appointment of Patricia McLean as the district's new director of curriculum.
Unanimous approval was at the recommendation of Assistant Superintendent John Blackman and a 13-member selection committee comprised of board members, parents, teachers and district administrators.
Blackman said Wednesday that McLean's last job was in Qatar, an Arab emirate in the Middle East, where she was part of large team assisting the country with restructuring its educational system.
"She has an amazing background in curriculum, and her references were amazing," Blackman said.
McLean replaces Matt Murray, who left the school district on July 1 to become superintendent of the Glenns Ferry School District.
Blackman said "16 viable applicants" applied for the job and five were interviewed by the selection committee.
He said McLean is well acquainted with the Wood River Valley.
"She's spent a lot of time in the area because she was really familiar with the area, and was very specific about where she wanted to apply," Blackman said.
Board approval came at a special meeting Tuesday afternoon that was open to the public. The meeting and its agenda were publicized prior to the meeting on the district's Web site and by the Idaho Mountain Express.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com