WSD struggles to fill open school board position

The Washougal School Board is struggling to fill a vacant director position that, despite being open for more than two weeks, has attracted zero applicants. The Washougal School District posted the position, vacated by Angela Hancock earlier this year, on July 29, and set a closing date on Aug. 27. “We have not had any official applications come through,” WSD’s interim superintendent, Aaron Hansen, told the Board during its Aug. 13 meeting. “We have had people express interest, though. Someone stopped by and visited with (administrative assistant) Kori (Kelly) and had some questions. We have two weeks to fill the position.” Board member Jim Cooper asked Hansen if the Aug. 27 deadline could be extended. “I think we can (extend it),” Hansen replied, “but if we did, it would just be a few days, because we definitely want to make a decision on Sept. 10.” Hansen told the Board that district leaders will most likely reach out to Education Service District 112 if the District has not received an application by the closing date. “As we approach that date, I’ll reach out to them and see what kind of support they can provide us in placing someone for the time being,” he said. “I have not reached out to them to ask (yet), but I know we have a short window of time here, so we’re definitely finding out what professional support they can provide and the process where they come in and assist the District with this situation.” Revised Code of Washington 28A.343.370 states that should any board of directors for whatever reason fail to fill a vacancy within 90 days from the creation of the vacancy, the members of the educational service district board in which the school district is located shall fill the vacancy by majority vote. Hancock’s resignation became official on June 12. “Should there exist fewer board members on the board of directors of a school district than constitutes a majority of the legally established number of board members, the educational service district board members of the district in which the school district is located, by the vote of a majority of its legally established number of board members, shall appoint a sufficient number of board members to constitute a legal majority,” the code states. Applicants must be a United States citizen, a registered voter, and reside within District 2, which includes most areas of the district north of the Washougal River from around Blair Road. The appointee will remain in place through the November 2025 election and may choose to file to run for the remainder of the unexpired term. “I think when school starts, and once people are more focused in school again, (the opening) will catch (more peoples’ attention),” Board member Sadie McKenzie said during the Aug. 13 meeting. “I think once people start looking at school again, I think we’ll see more movement. I just hope people are interested in applying.” According to Board policy 1005, Board members are expected to provide responsible governance; create conditions for student and staff success; foster high expectations and accountability for student learning; and engage with the community. “This is a very similar process that we’ve used the last two times we’ve had a position open,” Hansen said. “We were advertising a little bit longer than we did the last time because it was (during the) summer, so we thought it would be necessary to do that.” For more information about the position, residency requirements, and application process, contact Kelly at 360-954-3014 or kori.kelly@washougalsd.org. To apply, visit /bit.ly/WSBPosition2. Superintendent update The Board also began informal discussions about its upcoming search for a permanent superintendent. Hansen was appointed as interim superintendent in April after Mary Templeton, the district’s leader since 2017, was named as the superintendent for the Lake Stevens (Washington) School District. “The last time we looked (to fill the) superintendent position, the actual initial ‘kickoff’ was January 29 through the end of February,” Hansen told the Board. “We worked with a consultant who went around and got feedback from various groups, and then from there, (we made) a number of decisions — when to post (the job), the application process, screening, and the interview.” Cooper asked Hansen if the timeline the interim superintendent described aligns with the time of year when school districts typically seek to fill similar openings. “Usually, jobs get posted in February and March,” he said. “That’s when individuals make decisions, or boards make decisions regarding the future of that position. It doesn’t always have to be that way, but I would say that (the search occurs in early) spring, and then decisions are usually made by April or May so the superintendent can do some sort of shadowing or have an opportunity to meet with the community.” Board member Chuck Carpenter said that the Board will make “key decisions” about the process in November and December. “One (decision)) is whether to do an outside search,” he said. “The second one is, if we do, do we want to spend $25,000, $30,000 on a consultant? There’s a lot for us, as a board, to weigh (in the next several months).” Cooper indicated that he would not be in favor of the latter option. “Just to be blunt, I’m hopeful that we can avoid the expense, in tight budget years or not, of spending our money to pay (people from the) outside to help us,” he said.

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