Forks superintendent to step down at end of school year

FORKS – The Quillayute Valley School Board is looking for a new chief executive for the next school year.

Superintendent Frank Walter will follow his heart at the end of the school year, leaving the district to move closer to his fiancee in Pierce County.

Meanwhile, the board is considering two in-house candidates to replace Walter.

They are Forks High School Principal Ray Marshall and Special Services Director Diane Reaume, said Board Chairman Dave Dickson.

“We’ll see how they stack up and measure up to what we’re looking for,” he said.

Board members want to find a new schools chief no later than the middle of May to allow enough the person time to settle in, he said.

“If they aren’t one of our local candidates they will need to find a home out here,” Dickson said.

The job pays about $97,000 a year with a three-year contract and an option for an additional year, Dickson said.

In addition to strong leadership skills and experience with budgets, the right candidate will be adept at putting together curriculum to get the district’s schools “on the same page,” Dickson said.

Also, it’s vital that the prospect wants to relocate to Forks.

“Number one, we want someone who wants to live in the community,” Dickson said.

The district has 1,776 students, including about 600 at the on-line Insight School of Washington, and about 150 employees, Walter said.

The district has an annual budget of $13 million, Dickson said, with local property taxes accounting for about $560,000 of the annual budget.

Walter, 57, said he and his fiancee, Clover Park School District Assistant Superintendent Robin Sweeney of Lakewood, have not finalized a wedding date.

“Not yet, we’re working on it,” Walter said, adding they are looking to tie the knot in October.

“With wrapping up here, with the start of school, with all those other factors, things actually quiet down in October,” he said.

It will be the second marriage for both, he said.

More in News

Samuel Jones, 9, and Grace Kauffman help place hundreds of flags on graves of deceased veterans at Ocean View Cemetery early Saturday morning. The tradition this year was led by the Daughters of the American Revolution organization. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Rites to reflect meaning of holiday

Services set today across Peninsula

4-H fair deadline next week

Clallam program rebounding after pandemic

WSU extension office moving to new space

Former juvenile hall to host agency; open house set for June 16

David Nestvold of Bellevue, front, and Kary York of Kirkland prepare to leave the Dungeness Schoolhouse north of Sequim during Saturday’s Northwest Tandem Rally bicycle event. The two-day event, which drew more than 500 participants, was a fundraiser for the Olympic Discovery Trail and was organized by Peninsula Trails Coalition. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Tandem riding

David Nestvold of Bellevue, front, and Kary York of Kirkland prepare to… Continue reading

Motorcyclist killed in Brinnon wreck identified

Jeffery S. Thomas of Kingston has been identified as the… Continue reading

Motorcyclist dies in Brinnon wreck

A motorcyclist from the Bremerton naval base on a recreational… Continue reading

EYE ON THE PENINSULA: Budget resolutions before county board

Govenment meetings across North Olympic Peninsula

Sequim CTE facility backers consider next steps

Drive for vocational facility funding stalls in Olympia

Memorial Day ceremonies set across Peninsula

Public invited to events in Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Sequim, Forks

Most Read