PORT TOWNSEND — The next superintendent of the Port Townsend School District, David Engle of Lawrenceville, N.J., intends to attend the next School Board meeting Monday.
“I am looking forward to working in Port Townsend,” said Engle, 63, on Saturday.
“I like the eclectic nature of the community and the diversity and variety of the area.”
The School Board voted unanimously in open session Friday to offer the position to Engle after it had discussed the qualifications of four finalists in a 21/2-hour executive session that afternoon.
“The thing that stood out for me was his sense of vision,” said School Board President Jennifer James-Wilson on Friday.
“I was drawn to his lifelong sense of social justice and believe that he will help us deliver education to every student who passes through our doors.”
Engle — who holds a doctorate and whose experience includes serving as a school superintendent in North Platte, Neb. — officially starts July 1, following the departure of Gene Laes after two years as superintendent, but will spend some time in Port Townsend for planning purposes.
“I will make myself available to the board,” he said.
Engle, who has been staying in Tacoma during finalist interviews, said he will attend the next School Board meeting at 6 p.m. Monday in the Port Townsend High School library at 1500 Van Ness St.
“I’ve already spent some time peeling away the data about the school district and looking ahead and determining what kind of approach we will need to take to coordinate all the work we need to do,” Engle said.
Engle said two of the most important issues are the establishment of an educational plan and acquiring new technology.
The board will now commence final negotiations with Engle, which includes salary.
If an agreement is not reached, the board will call on one of the other finalists, James-Wilson said.
Engle said he did not anticipate any problem in reaching a salary agreement.
During the last superintendent search, the board was offering a salary of about $120,000 per year.
Laes, who was hired as part-time superintendent, received four-fifths of that amount.
Engle is not employed now, James-Wilson said, adding that he had moved to New Jersey to take a position with a textbook company there.
He grew up in the Puget Sound area.
Last week, each of the four finalists underwent extensive interviews, each spending a day in the district meeting with staff, teachers, students and the public.
The four finalists were chosen from 23 applicants.
Aside from Engle, the finalists were John R. Alberghini of Waterbury Center, Vt., who is superintendent of Chittenden East Supervisory Union in Richmond, Vt.; Ellen Perconti, director of curriculum and assessment in the Lewiston (Idaho) Independent School District; and Mellody Matthes, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning in the Tukwila School District.
Tom Opstad announced his resignation in March 2010 after five years of leading the district.
The School Board hired Laes as interim superintendent for one year and extended his contract through the current school year.
The search for a new permanent superintendent began in November with several public meetings that allowed the board to develop an application packet that was tailored to the district’s needs.
Engle called the selection “a very intense process.”
It also was an education for the School Board members.
“I was blown away by the quality of the candidates,” said board member Anne Burkart.
“They all had great credentials, a lot of skill and a passion for education,” she added.
“It was a joy to spend a day with each of these individuals to hear them speak about teaching and learning, and I learned so much about what is going on in education today.”
Burkart called Engle “a game changer.”
Board member Bill LeMaster agreed.
“I think Dr. Engle will bring a breadth and depth of organizational ability and experience that has not been demonstrated in the district,” LeMaster said.
“He will begin a transformation to the district that will get us on the path to becoming a first-rate educational institution.”
Engle said he was attracted to the Port Townsend School District because of its size.
“I feel the scale of the work is manageable,” he said.
“One of the reasons that larger districts don’t get anything done is because they are too big.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
