My colleagues and I at last week's interviews with the Seattle Public Schools superintendent finalists had our theories about why the district split us into three 15-minute slots, not the least of which being that the district was afraid a media free-for-all might scare some finalists off.

Well, if that was the strategy, it didn't work. Over the weekend two of the three finalists—Sandra Husk and Steven Enoch—have withdrawn their names from consideration. That leaves only Jose Banda in the running.

Banda was my favorite of the three for reasons that had more to do with personality than with experience or ideology. I just think that he's the one who offers the most promise at building consensus and stability, two things the district desperately needs.

But it's a little disturbing that Seattle is finding it so difficult to attract candidates for its top posts.

UPDATE: On KUOW this afternoon, School Board president Michael DeBell revealed that Banda was kinda-sorta unofficially offered the job last night, whereas Husk didn't drop out until this morning. So perhaps her withdrawal was more face-saving than anything else. Not that there's anything wrong with that.