Dayton School Board hires interim part-time superintendent

DAYTON- The Dayton School Board held a work session meeting at 6 p.m., June 1, 2022, in the high school auditorium and Zoom. All members of the Dayton School Board were present in the auditorium, Aneesha Dieu, Zac Fabian, Grant Griffen, Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Korinda Wallace, Madison Richardson (Student Representative), and Superintendent Guy Strot.

The consent agenda included the resignation of M.S. math teacher Brenda Henderson and the hiring of Martin Surridge as an HS English teacher, Pam Nolan Beasley as the elementary STEM teacher, and Kelly Steinhoff as M.S. Learning Assistance Program Paraeducator.

Also approved in the consent agenda was the out-of-endorsement status for Kristen Frankie, HS English Teacher. The board passed the Consent Agenda without dissent.

Athletic Director Sam Korslund presented updates on the district’s athletic facilities. The director proposed that facilities are maintained and repaired for school and non-school youth athletic groups’ use.

After describing the extent of repairs needed, the Athletic Director gave a rough estimate of $150,000 to restore the football and baseball facilities to functional and safe status. The board did not take any specific action during the meeting but did discuss seeking volunteers, donating items such as fill dirt, and possibly purchasing used equipment from other school districts.

District Head Custodian John Delp gave a briefing on the summer maintenance projects. The new entryway to the gym is almost complete, and the staff will continue last year’s project of replacing ill-functioning doors and installing security cameras. He also identified emerging maintenance problems that will need to be addressed soon.

The board listened to a proposal to purchase a new K-12 Math Curriculum. The committee tasked with making a recommendation proposed selecting two on-line curriculums, “Open Up High School Mathmatics” and “Kendall Hunt Illustrative Mathematics.” The committee recommended a pilot project using both curriculums next school year. After the year, the district would compare the programs and choose one.

The proposed math curriculums will be available for public review before the board plans on voting to accept or reject the use of one or both at the June 15, 2022, meeting.

The school board voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2021-03, allowing the district to hire an interim, part-time superintendent and an interim, part-time secondary principal. The board members passed this resolution unanimously and immediately afterward passed a recommendation to hire Richard Stewart as interim superintendent. Mr. Stewart comes to the district through McPherson & Jacobson, LLC, a head-hunting firm for administrators in education. Mr. Stewart has experience as interim and part-time superintendent for districts needing to fill a gap. Recently, he has been part-time Superintendent at Nespelem School District and served as full or part-time Superintendent at La Connor Schools, Eatonville, and Kittitas, all in Washington State.

At 7:39 p.m., The meeting was adjourned at 7:39 p.m., followed by an executive session, closed to the public, to discuss negotiations with classified staff.