School board narrows superintendent search to three

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 2, 2022

The search for a new Sequim School District superintendent is down to three, and an alternate if needed.

School board directors narrowed their search on Feb. 25 following an all-day executive session meeting and interviewing five candidates via Zoom.

Directors unanimously agreed on the three candidates and an alternate for finalist interviews with no public discussion about the candidates.

Another all-day interview session is tentatively set for Saturday, March 12, both in-person and in executive session.

Board president Eric Pickens said on Feb. 25 that the job search will remain confidential to protect the privacy of the candidates, as they are employed elsewhere.

Candidates were referred to by letter designations.

The five semi-finalists were narrowed from a field of 21 applicants on Feb. 15, Pickens said in an interview.

“I’m feeling good about these candidates,” he said. “I think we’ll find a good long-term fit for the district.”

Pickens said the information he felt he could share was that each candidate has previous superintendent experience.

He would not comment on their location, level of experience or other specifics.

“It’ll be kept confidential until this person is selected,” he said.

The board’s priorities expressed with consultant Hank Harris of Human Capital Enterprises held firm, Pickens said, that their ideal candidate would be a long-term fit.

“It’s not somebody just going to be a year or two years,” he said.

While Harris did screen the applicants for the board, Pickens said the board had full access to the entire slate of candidates.

A permanent superintendent would tentatively begin July 1.

Next steps

Prior to the board’s interviews, a community stakeholder group will interview the candidates on March 10, Pickens said.

The stakeholder team was chosen via lottery and consists of more than a dozen community members, educators, administrators and others.

The board will consider their feedback extensively, Pickens said.

Following interviews, the school board will meet on March 13 to discuss preferred candidates with a tentative announcement in late March, according to the district’s provided schedule.

The superintendent position became vacant late last year after Jane Pryne resigned after 13 months as interim superintendent. Pryne replaced superintendent Robert Clark, who resigned after a complaint in October 2020 put him on administrative leave. It was revealed that a district employee filed a sex discrimination lawsuit against Clark that remains pending in court.

Joan Zook, a retired superintendent and Sequim resident, accepted the interim position after Pryne for the remainder of the school year.

Zook is the fourth superintendent since 2019.

Pickens said overturn and pending lawsuits were not a focal point during interviews.

“There wasn’t anything hidden, and it’s anything they can find on a Google search,” he said.

“(Issues) haven’t proven to be a hindrance on the application pool.”

For more about Sequim School District, visit sequimschools.org.

Editor’s note: Reporter Matthew Nash has family members employed and enrolled in the Sequim School District.