Departing Peninsula schools superintendent gets a tearful goodbye

Facing a shrinking roster of district leaders, the Peninsula School District board of directors had an emotional last meeting June 14 with superintendent Rob Manahan.

There were a few wet eyes in the crowd and at the director’s table as students, staff members and members of the public gave Manahan a final goodbye.

“We want to thank Rob Manahan, even though his time with us was shorter than anticipated,” Carol Rivera, spokeswoman for the Peninsula Education Association, told the directors during public comment at the meeting.

Manahan resigned May 30 to accept a position with the Snoqualmie Valley School District. His start date will be July 1. His last day at the Peninsula School District was Thursday (June 21).

Toward the end of the June 14 meeting, Manahan asked for an executive session with board members to discuss his departure. Board president Marcia Harris denied the request and adjourned the meeting.

Manahan made his comments after the meeting.

"The board can work on its communication, its decision-making, its appreciation and valuing of the skill set of the superintendent they bring in and trusting that skill set," he said. "Those are things that could be helpful. I can take some accountability for that as well, that my communication was not always as clear and precise as it could have been."

Some members of the public expressed disappointment with Manahan’s departure, and asked the board to reflect on what happened in the past two years to cause him to look elsewhere.

“Two years ago I was thrilled when Rob applied for the superintendent position,” said Suzanne Johnson, a former teacher in the district. “Rob has empowered staff and sought solutions to the district’s issues. I am at disbelief. What could have been done differently to keep this leader?”

Manahan is not the only district leader to leave suddenly in recent weeks. Director Rand Wilhelmsen resigned May 10, leaving a vacancy to fill.

During a special session before the June 14 meeting, the four remaining board members, along with Manahan, discussed the next steps in the search for an interim superintendent and a replacement for Wilhelmsen.

“We have about three people who applied for (Wilhelmsen’s) spot,” Director David Olson said. “In the past, we have had up to 14 applicants.”

Olson said the board will accept applications for Wilhelmsen's replacement until July 28. The district will take applications from qualified candidates who live in District 3, which includes the central and eastern portions of Gig Harbor and part of north Gig Harbor.

The board will review applications and pick up to five candidates to interview. Then the board will make recommendations during a regular public meeting and appoint a new director.

As for the interim superintendent, the district is looking internally and externally, but has not posted the position on any public job boards, Olson said. The district plans to hold a special public meeting July 11 to discuss the search for an interim superintendent.

Until that person is found, the district’s chief financial officer, Karen Anderson, will act as the superintendent, Olson said.

DIRECTORS DISCUSS FUTURE SPENDING MEASURES

Board members also debated potential capital measures for the upcoming election cycle, including a $75 million levy.

“I have been talking with the ‘no’ group,” Olson said. “And the said they would be willing to work with a six-year, $75 million capital levy.”

During the session, the group discusses whether to put a measure on the November ballot or wait until February. Board President Harris said the district had three broad options to consider:

▪ Propose a levy to cover the cost of a elementary school to help ease with the district’s overcrowding issues.

▪ Propose a levy to help fix issues in the district’s older buildings.

▪ Propose a levy or a bond to cover the cost of a new elementary school with some extra for infrastructure and facilities.

The directors discussed the benefits of a levy, which needs 50 percent of the vote to pass, over a bond, which needs more than 60 percent. They also discussed settling on the location for a new elementary school before presenting a capital measure to the voters.

Randy Boss, a founder of Responsible Taxation for Citizens, which opposed the $220 million bond in April, said he has discussed with a couple of directors what his group would support.

“They blamed us for the failure of the bond,” Boss said. “They don’t think it would be advantageous to go forward without agreement from our group. It’s sensible to get both parties together.”

Boss said his group will support a $75 million, six-year levy only if it is packaged with a maintenance and operation levy.

“It’s a two-part package,” Boss said. “We are not against financing our schools.”

This story was originally published June 19, 2018 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Departing Peninsula schools superintendent gets a tearful goodbye."