After weighing feedback from the community, staff members, administrators and students, the Kalama School Board has decided to “shift” its search for the district’s next superintendent.
On Friday, the board announced in a letter that it plans to hire an interim superintendent for the 2023-24 school year, and will resume the search for a permanent superintendent next winter in hopes of having a larger candidate pool to choose from.
The board’s letter reads as follows:
Dear Stakeholders of the Kalama School District,
As you know, one of the responsibilities your Kalama School Board is charged with is to hire the best possible superintendent to lead our district. We assure you that we are unified and committed to accomplishing that vital task, and we remain confident that we will be able fulfill that duty.
We had hoped to accomplish the task at hand despite the lateness of the season for such a hire, as well as an abbreviated timeframe. Unfortunately, with our current pool of finalists, we were not able to find that person.
As part of the selection process, we reached out to a variety of stakeholders representing a cross section of our district and community, inviting them to provide us with input through a series of public forums and surveys. We appreciate everyone who participated in this process. Your participation was valuable in assisting us in arriving at our conclusion.
The Kalama School Board listened to the input of the community, teachers, staff, administrators, and students regarding our three finalists for the superintendent position. It was clear that no consensus was reached among our stakeholders. We, as a board, agree with this evaluation and will now shift our search to securing an interim superintendent.
We will begin the search for a permanent superintendent again this winter with the goal of
having the right person in place for the 2024-2025 school year.
Sincerely,
Your Kalama School Board
Wesley R. Eader, Sr., Board President
Resuming the search process at a later date will allow the district to advertise the position for a greater number of weeks in an effort to increase the pool of candidates. It also gives the board much more time to have a hire in place by the typical July 1 start date.
The board anticipates naming an interim superintendent in the coming weeks.