PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend School District will have an easier time recruiting a new superintendent than it did four years ago, according to the consultant involved in both searches.
“The district has made real progress,” said Richard Parker, a representative of the search consultant firm McPherson & Jacobson LLC, based in Omaha, Neb.
“It is focused on a goal and has a plan, which it didn’t have last time.”
Most recent search
At the time of the last search, the district was coming off a failed search and had had turnover on the School Board, Parker said.
For this search, “the progress they’ve made has increased the quality of the pool,” he said.
Superintendent Tom Opstad had announced his resignation in March 2010 effective at the end of that school year, which didn’t give the district much time to find a replacement, board members said at the time.
After an unsuccessful search, the board sought an interim leader and hired Gene Laes, who held the post for two years.
The board began its search in November 2011 for the 2012-13 school year and in March 2012 selected David Engle, who established the Maritime Discovery Initiative and successfully supported a bond issue earlier this year.
Engle announced his resignation March 1, around the same time as Opstad did in 2010.
The board chose to seek a permanent replacement instead of an interim superintendent to sustain the district’s momentum gained under Engle’s tenure.
Parker said the district has received only five to seven responses to the advertisement but expects several more will arrive before Thursday, when the application period closes.
In 2011, the district received 25 applicants, which were narrowed down to four finalists who met the public.
During the last search, the district chose to skip the semifinalist step and move directly into the selection of finalists because the semifinalist step requires candidate privacy, which is difficult to achieve when balanced with the need for public input, board member Jennifer James-Wilson said at the time.
The schedule calls for finalist determination May 9, initial interviews May 14, public candidate site visits May 16-18 and selection of the new superintendent May 19.
Engle has cited July 1 as his retirement date.
As the private search process takes place, the district is hosting an online survey asking participants what the new superintendent should know about Port Townsend and the skills required for success.
The survey is accessible at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-supt-search.
Other PT searches
The superintendent process is one of three high-profile searches now taking place in Port Townsend.
The Port of Port Townsend is seeking a replacement for Larry Crockett and has already winnowed down 19 applicants to eight candidates, according to Human Resources Director Abigail Berg.
Berg said she is now doing due diligence on the candidates and will present the names to port commissioners in an executive session Wednesday.
The vetted candidates are expected to visit Port Townsend during the week of April 25. They will tour the facility and be interviewed by the commissioners.
The port will pay travel costs, which won’t be prohibitive because the candidates are all regional, Berg said.
Three finalists will be selected and will appear at open public meetings.
Berg expects the new director to be hired in the middle of May.
Finding a replacement for Crockett might not occur until after his June 1 retirement, so Berg will run the port on a day-to-day basis along with planning analyst Eric Toews.
“We’re not sure we can get someone here by June 1 since they may have to give notice at their other job,” she said.
Jefferson County is seeking a Department of Community Development director to replace Carl Smith, who retired in September.
Since that time, former County Administrator David Goldsmith has filled the position on an interim basis.
Applications for the position close May 1.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
