Port Townsend school superintendent leaving for Aberdeen post

PORT TOWNSEND — The Aberdeen School District board has hired Port Townsend School District Superintendent Tom Opstad.

Opstad accepted the board’s offer today.

The Port Townsend School District board has scheduled a Monday special meeting to accept Opstad’s resignation, effective June 30.

Opstad, who has worked in the Port Townsend district since 2005, was one of two finalists for the position and interviewed a week ago in Aberdeen.

He said Tuesday that if he left the Port Townsend district, it will be only to advance his career.

Aberdeen is a larger district, with an enrollment of about 3,400 compared with Port Townsend’s 1,300.

The Aberdeen position pays about $155,000 annually, according to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

In June, the Port Townsend School Board extended Opstad’s contract to June 30, 2012. The contract set his annual salary at $114,759 plus benefits.

Opstad and Rob Clark — superintendent at the Cascade School District, encompassing the towns of Peshastin, Dryden, Leavenworth, Winton, Lake Wenatchee and Plain — were the two finalists.

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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.

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