Superintendent Swinyard sworn in as Spokane schools face pandemic, budget uncertainties

Adam Swinyard’s new position as superintendent of Spokane Public Schools was made official Wednesday night, with a socially distant swearing-in ceremony during a regularly scheduled school board meeting.

“The pandemic has put us in the midst of a storm,” Swinyard told school board members and the public Wednesday night in a meeting broadcast via Zoom. “But we will navigate through it, because we have a true north.

“We know what our values are.”

Swinyard takes over from predecessor Shelly Redinger, who left for the same position in the Richland School District, at a time when schools are trying to develop reopening plans during the coronavirus outbreak and facing continued budget woes. In 2019, the district ended librarian services as one of several cost measures, and it’s unclear what state funding might look like as tax revenues plummet during public safety shutdown orders.

The board unanimously picked 37-year-old Swinyard after discussing a potential nationwide search for a replacement in late June. Former Spokane Public School Board of Directors President Sue Chapin phoned into the Zoom meeting and applauded the board for naming a successor quickly.

“I know there was encouragement in the media to conduct a national search, but in reality all that would have accomplished would have been a colossal expenditure of money that could be used on students, to come to the very same conclusion,” Chapin said.

Swinyard received the oath at the district’s downtown offices from current board President Jerrall Haynes. Both were masked and stood several yards apart for the ceremony.

“If anybody out there is wondering whether our school district is headed in the right direction, the appointment of Dr. Swinyard as our next superintendent allows me to say a resounding yes to that question,” Haynes said.

Swinyard will earn $235,000 in base salary each year as superintendent, per the terms of a deal approved by the school board. The contract is for two years.

The district will also be looking for a replacement for former Board of Directors Member Kevin Morrison, who resigned last week. Haynes said at the meeting he preferred the appointment process to begin by accepting applications as early as Friday, which would give the district plenty of time to swear in a successor before a Sept. 25 deadline.

Classes are scheduled to resume in Spokane Public Schools on Sept. 3, but first the board must finalize plans for reopening and pass a budget for the 2020-21 school year.