Schools look for interim leader

The Spokane Public Schools Board of Directors isn’t wasting any time finding a temporary replacement for Superintendent Brian Benzel.

The five-member board voted Wednesday to select an interim superintendent to fill the top job. The board will begin taking letters of interest immediately and may begin interviews as early as March 12.

Interested candidates – likely from within the district and state – are asked to submit letters of interest to the board by March 7, and the board will convene another special meeting March 9 to review the applicants, board President Christie Querna said.

“We want to move as quickly as possible,” Querna said.

Benzel, 59, announced last week that he would retire at the end of this school year and take a job as the vice president of finance and administration at Whitworth College. He has said he would like to step down in July or August.

His resignation comes during tough financial times for the state’s second-largest school district, which is looking to trim $10.5 million from its budget.

In a special meeting Wednesday at the district’s administration building, the board decided that a national search to fill Benzel’s position would be too rushed. Benzel earns a base salary of about $165,000 a year.

“This is the most important decision we get to make as board members,” said Director Rocky Treppiedi. “We want to make sure … whatever route we choose gets us to the best person, not the quickest person.”

It was not determined how long the interim would serve.

Selecting an interim superintendent from a pool of qualified internal and external candidates would also allow any new board members elected in November to weigh in on the decision of a permanent replacement for Benzel, who was hired in 2001. There will be three open seats on the board this year – two six-year terms and a two-year term to fill the remaining term of Don Barlow, who was elected to the state Legislature. Sue Chapin was appointed to serve his term until November, when she will need to run to remain on the board.

Querna, who had said she would not seek another term, said Wednesday she will indeed run again in November. Director Barb Richardson said she will not seek another term.

“Having stability on the board will help in a super search,” said Querna, who has served two six-year terms and helped hire Benzel. “I think we need to wait until the new person is elected.”

A national search can be costly, with search firm fees totaling $25,000 or more, plus travel for interviews with candidates and other expenses such as meals, Querna said.

An interim candidate selected from within Washington would also have some knowledge of the state’s accountability and testing standards and complicated funding models, she said.

“We need someone who understands the funding crisis,” Querna said. “Most other states don’t have as much reliance on the state for funding. It will be easier (for a local person) to hit the ground running.”