Seattle's Superintendent Has Big Shoes To Fill

By Robert C. Johnston

Seattle

Joseph Olchefske, Seattle's unlikely superintendent of schools, works in the shadows of two local icons. First, there is the Space Needle, this city's 605-foot-tall landmark that is prominently framed by the window in his downtown office. But John H. Stanford, the popular schools chief who died in November 1998 after a seven-month battle with leukemia, casts the bigger shadow.

Mr. Stanford, a charismatic retired U.S. Army general and the city's first black superintendent, is credited with revitalizing the city's schools and championing high expectations for all children. A year ago next month, the school board moved to keep that momentum going by giving the job to Mr. Olchefske, the former investment banker whom Mr. Stanford hired in 1995 to run the 47,000-student district's finances.

In his first year as superintendent, the 41-year-old St. Paul, Minn., native is credited with making tough personnel decisions and adhering to...