Thompson in second-stage interviews with Detroit

Thursday, January 13th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Detroit education officials toured schools here as Tulsa Superintendent John Thompson prepared to head north this weekend for a second round of interviews. Thompson is a semifinalist for Detroit's top spot of the 172,000-student district. J. Jerome Harris of Atlanta also is in the running for the chief executive officer's post.

Thompson and Harris will be in Detroit on Saturday for televised interviews. Last week, a past president of the Detroit Board of Education also applied for the position. Lawrence Patrick Jr. said he applied after seeing the board's two finalists.

On Wednesday, several Detroit school board members visited two Tulsa elementary schools and a middle school, said Tulsa Public Schools spokesman John Hamill. "They just wanted to get a tour of the district," Hamill said. "They had no requests."

Meanwhile, the Tulsa school board is working on Thompson's new contract. A final draft should be ready by the end of the month of which Thompson "has to accept or reject", said Ruth Ann Fate, the school board president. The Detroit School board has approved as much as $250,000 for salary negotiations. Thompson's current contract is $131,000 annually.

Thompson was not available for comment but released a short statement. "The board's job is to find the best possible superintendent for the children of Detroit," Thompson said. "My job is to do my best for the children of Tulsa. I anticipate that both of us will be successful."