PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School District has begun the process of finding a replacement for Superintendent Marty Brewer, approving a request for proposals to hire a search firm to help with the hiring process.
The goal is to select a new superintendent no later than March 7.
According to the RFP, among the firm’s responsibilities are to advise the board on a compensation package, identify a diverse pool of candidates and construct a process with community involvement.
“We decide what we want included in that search,” board president Sarah Methner said Thursday.
RFPs are due to the district by Jan. 6, and the board plans to make a decision at its Jan. 9 meeting.
Brewer announced in November that he will retire in August after seven years with the district.
The RFP can be found at tinyurl.com/42hscy2z.
Brewer said cash continues to be a challenge for the district, much of which was linked to the apportionment schedule from the state, which varied widely over the course of the year.
“January, February and March are low points for us, so we’re going to have to be very sensitive to cash flow during those months,” he said.
Although its apportionment will bounce back up in April, the district’s combined apportionment for May and June is 9 percent — the same as for all of December.
The district’s biggest monthly expense is $4.2 million for employee salaries and benefits, which comes out of its general fund. Along with other school districts in the state, Port Angeles also will need to fund its Transition to Kindergarten program when state dollars are anticipated to run out in the spring.
The board unanimously approved an interfund loan of no more than $2 million from its capital to its general fund that will enable it to meet expenses. Such transfers are allowed under WAC 392-123-140, which can be found at tinyurl.com/235wtcmr. The resolution approved by the board can be found at tinyurl.com/5yfyw5wn.
Meanwhile, human resources director Scott Harker said the 20 public information requests and requests for information the district received this year remained about the same as in 2023, but their scope vastly expanded. Requests for hundreds and, in one case, more than 5,000, emails took a great deal of staff time to process, Harker said.
“We need to look through each email individually to see if there’s anything we need to redact — student names, personally identifiable information — that takes awhile,” he said.
Asking for clarification, such as key words or specific dates, can narrow down the request and help the district provide the information faster, he said.
In other news, four district staff members were recognized for jumping into action Nov. 1 when a retired paraeducator suffered a medical emergency at Port Angeles High School. Special education teacher Sarah Winters called 9-1-1, paraeducator Deena Ulbrich performed CPR and Glynis Young removed students from the area. Franklin Elementary School counselor Colleen Harker arrived to support the women and led a debriefing after the event.
“We know that the actions of our staff change lives, but there’s rare occasions when the staff’s actions may actually save a life,” high school principal Jeff Lunt said. “These three spend their day serving our most fragile students, but on this day, they served one of our own. They demonstrated and provided care not only for students, but provided critical care in a life-saving emergency that contributed to a positive outcome.”
New board officers were nominated and approved for the year. Methner and Sandy Long will remain president and vice president, respectively, Kirsten Williams as legislative representative, Stan Williams will be joined by Kirsten Williams as Washington Interscholastic Activities Association representatives.
Norma Turner read from and donated to the district a copy of the book “Lonesome Road: A Memoir of Faith” by 1983 Port Angeles High School graduate Timothy Schilling, in which he praised his teachers for helping and encouraging him during a particularly difficult time in his life.
Also, Stevens Middle School science teacher Daniel Lieberman received the Washington Science Teachers Association Excellence in Middle School Education Award for 2024 from WSTA president and Port Townsend High School teacher Brandi Hageman.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsula dailynews.com.
