If the Tacoma School Board was looking to avoid controversy with its appointment of an interim superintendent, it didn’t work that way.
Board members voted Thursday to hire Art Jarvis, the chief financial officer for Seattle Public Schools, to fill in for outgoing Superintendent Charlie Milligan.
Just before board members took the vote at a Thursday night meeting, Tacoma deputy superintendent Ethelda Burke announced her resignation.
Burke has served as acting superintendent since the board and Milligan agreed he should resign last month, and black community members had urged the board to choose her for the interim job.
Instead, Jarvis will step into the position Aug. 1, and work on an at-will basis until as late as June 30, 2008, while the board conducts a search for a permanent superintendent. He will be paid an annual salary of $185,000.
Jarvis, 63, has 22 years of experience as a superintendent, having spent 11 years leading the South Whidbey School District and 11 years as the superintendent of the Enumclaw School District. He took the position of CFO for the Seattle district earlier this year after retiring from Enumclaw, where he lives.
Board member Debbie Winskill, who was assigned the task of checking applicants’ references, said everyone she talked to described Jarvis as a great, well-rounded leader.
“The tie-breaker was his experience as superintendent,” Winskill said. “Based on this, we thought he was someone who would be able to come into this district and hit the ground running.”
Jarvis was selected over Burke and two other finalists, whose identities were not revealed by School Board members.
Burke agreed to let her name be publicly disclosed. She was the only internal applicant among 12 people who applied for the job.
The board approved Jarvis’ appointment 4-1. Board member Kurt Miller voted against the hire, saying he thought Burke was a superior candidate.
“Ethelda Burke has held this district together in the past year,” Miller said. “I really feel that Ethelda was the person for this job.”
Former Tacoma City Manager Jim Walton, whose wife recently retired the from the Tacoma School District, also criticized the choice.
“If you’re selecting someone who can hit the ground running, why not choose somebody who’s already on the ground?” Walton asked.
In announcing her resignation, Burke said she made her decision based on a conversation with board President Connie Rickman on Wednesday afternoon following the board’s informal vote on the interim appointment.
She has yet to submit a formal letter of resignation and declined to comment after Thursday’s meeting.
Burke, 60, has been deputy superintendent since 2004 and has worked in the Tacoma School District since 1973.
In a phone interview Thursday night, Jarvis said his first goal was learning all he could about the Tacoma community and getting ready for school to start Sept. 5.
“There’s a lot of work to be done to make sure things are ready for opening day,” Jarvis said. “My plan is just to jump in and start work as soon as possible.”
Jarvis said he hasn’t given much thought to applying for the permanent superintendent position and hasn’t discussed it with the board.
Rickman said Burke’s resignation took her and the rest of the board by surprise.
“She’s been an institution in this district for many years,” Rickman said. “I didn’t see it coming at all.”
Melissa Santos: 253-552-7058
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.