PORT TOWNSEND — School District Superintendent Tom Opstad — one of two finalists for the Aberdeen School District superintendent position — expects to know by Friday if he will be offered the job.
Opstad, who interviewed a week ago in Aberdeen, said that if he leaves the Port Townsend district, it will be only to advance his career.
“I am looking at opportunities in my in profession,” Opstad, who started work as the Port Townsend superintendent in 2005, said Tuesday.
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 — are the two finalists.
“I’m assuming by the end of the week, they’ll come up with a decision,” Opstad said.
The board meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
On Monday, School Board representatives from Aberdeen visited him and those who work with him on his home turf in Port Townsend.
While in Port Townsend, they talked to school board members, administrators, principals and other staffers about Opstad.
The new superintendent will succeed current Superintendent Marty Kay, who announced his plans to retire in June.
Opstad visited Aberdeen last Thursday. Two other candidates were there Tuesday and Wednesday to interview with the school board, staff and students and meet community members.
“It’s about moving to a larger district,” Opstad told The Daily World of Aberdeen last week.
“You have some great programs and services here. Aberdeen is kind of the ideal setting.”
Opstad taught high school biology, chemistry, physics, algebra and pre-calculus when he was a classroom teacher. He has also coached and served as a senior class adviser.
Opstad is a former assistant superintendent at the Lynden School District, where he worked for five years before coming to Port Townsend. He also served as a principal and assistant principal.
He told The Daily World he loves the staff and School Board at Port Townsend, but that it’s time for a move to a larger district.
He said he likes Aberdeen’s proximity to the coast and it’s right between Portland and Seattle where his daughters live.
He told the newspaper he is a superintendent who is often seen walking school halls and supporting teachers and new ideas.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
