PORT TOWNSEND — An administrator now working in Brazil has agreed to become Blue Heron Middle School principal, said David Engle, Port Townsend School superintendent.
Matthew Holshouser is the Lower School principal at American School of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
“He has definitely got a sense of adventure,” Engle said.
The offer is contingent upon School Board approval. The board is expected to consider it at its next meeting at 6 p.m. June 22 at 1610 Blaine St.
Holshouser was one of four candidates vying to replace Diane Lashinsky, 57, who announced in April her retirement at the end of the school year for personal reasons.
She had led the middle school at 3939 San Juan Ave. for three years.
The advertised salary range for the position is $84,878 to $96,847; Lashinsky is earning $91,850.
Holshouser, who is in his mid-40s, was selected during a second round of recruitment begun in May after a Renton school principal chosen for the post withdrew as a candidate.
He traveled to Port Townsend earlier this week to tour the school and meet staff members.
“He flew up from Brazil on Tuesday and interviewed on Wednesday, and we made an offer, and he flew back on Thursday,” Engle said.
The middle school has about 380 students in fourth-through-eighth grades.
The Lower School of the American School of Rio de Janeiro has about the same number of students, who are in preschool, kindergarten and first through fifth grades.
Mary Sepler, Grant Street Elementary School principal, also resigned at the end of this school year and will be replaced by Lisa Condran, an educator now working in the Mount Vernon School District.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
