Richard E. Kendell, the Davis County School District superintendent, has been named one of four finalists for the 1994 National Superintendent of the Year award.

The American Association of School Administrators chooses one superintendent each year from 51 state and overseas finalists for the award.Among other things, Kendell got high marks in the competition for coping with the challenges of burgeoning enrollments and limited finances, his leadership in pressing for legislative changes to help schools, building collaborative relationships with employees and the community and helping to create statewide school technology programs.

Kendell will travel to Washington, D.C., next week for group and personal interviews. The final selection will be announced in February at the AASA convention in San Francisco.

Recently, Kendell was named Utah Superintendent of the Year by the Utah School Superintendents Association.

The other national finalists are Kenneth Moffett, Lennox, Calif.; Barbara Devlin, Villa Park, Ill.; and Gary Wegenke, Des Moines, Iowa.

"When I got the call saying I was one of the four finalists, I almost fainted," Kendell said.

He said he is flattered by the honor but feels uncomfortable drawing so much attention to himself.

"The whole process has kind of made me self-conscious - part of being a superintendent is trying to maintain a low profile," Kendell said.

This is good for the state, however, "since in the scheme of things, you don't hear much about Utah."

Kendell has been the Davis superintendent since 1987.

The district is running up against all of the social ills of more urban districts, although on a smaller scale, but Davis still enjoys many success stories, Kendell said.

District test scores are above state and national averages, more students are taking and excelling in Advanced Placement classes, more youngsters are taking math and science classes, and ACT and SAT scores have risen over the past five years, Kendell said.

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"There are things we can be proud of - and we do it for less money than other states," he said.

Kendell's colleagues think he deserves the national award.

"He has outstanding communication and human relations skills," said Darrell White, executive director of the Utah School Superintendents Association. "It's his greatest asset. He works well with people in the profession as well as the community."

The Davis district is the third largest in Utah. It has an enrollment of 58,000 students.

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