PORT ANGELES — The Arizonan sworn in Monday night as the new superintendent of the Port Angeles School District will be paid more than her predecessor.
Fifty cents a year more.
The School Board on Monday unanimously approved a contract for Jane Pryne, who comes to Port Angeles from educational positions on the Arizona desert.
Her three-year contract will pay her $138,659 annually — 50 cents more per year than Gary Cohn made as he departs the district June 30 to assume the superintendent post in the Everett School District.
The minuscule amount results from formulizing the superintendent’s salary, said School Board President Steve Baxter.
Pryne will be in Port Angeles for about nine days to understudy Cohn and to speak with staff while school is in session.
She will officially start July 1.
“I am so thrilled to be here — I will be here a week and a few more days before I officially start,” she said at Monday night’s School Board meeting.
“I think my days are full until 8 or 9 at night every single day I’m here,” said Pryne.
“But that is great. It is all a lot of fun.”
Her husband, Jim, is still in Tucson, Ariz., packing up for their move to Port Angeles.
“We have already found a home here,” she said.
“That is a huge weight off my shoulders.”
Clallam County Superior Court Judge Brooke Taylor swore Pryne in after her contract was approved by the School Board.
In addition to the salary, the contract also agrees to pay half of Pryne’s moving expenses up to $3,500, and it includes 30 days of vacation per year.
“This open [selection] process has been well received by the community and has been a lot of fun to work through,” Baxter said.
“Welcome home,” School Board member Nancy McLaughlin told Pryne.
Baxter added: “It seems like she’s been here forever.”
Consultant used
The consulting firm Principled Leadership Consulting, which helped the district through the search process, negotiated the contract with Pryne.
Pryne was superintendent of schools in the Continental School District and the 13,000-student Marana Unified School District, both located south of Tucson.
She also taught education classes for Northern Arizona University in Tucson during the past year.
Holds doctorate
Pryne received her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Arizona in Tucson in May 2002, a master’s in special education with an emphasis on learning disabilities in August 1981 and a bachelor’s in elementary education in May 1977.
Most recently, Pryne has been working at the university level creating a program for undergraduates to become dual-certified in elementary education and special education as well as teaching graduate courses on becoming a superintendent.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
