Pateros School Board hires interim superintendent at special meeting

PATEROS – The Pateros School Board met in special session on Monday, Nov. 14, to revisit a topic that was tabled at a special meeting the week previous: consideration to hire Mike Parker as interim superintendent to replace Greg Goodnight when he resigns at the end of the 2023 school year.

At the previous meeting the board decided to table the issue until a contract was arranged agreeable to both parties.

“We had time to review his qualifications, meet with him, and we consulted with our legal counsel on terms whether to do independent contractor versus employee,” said Grace Larsen. “That’s the biggest part of what held us up making our decision last time.”

Larsen added that Parker is highly qualified with lots of experience with small schools and districts around the state and is interested in working with the Pateros School District on a short-term interim position. He also runs a side business as a consultant.

Board vice chair Marc Armstrong noted that as a consultant Parker assists schools in their search for superintendents.

“We’d ask him to do that as part of his contract,” said Armstrong adding that the topic could be taken up with Parker at a later date.”

Following a break for executive session the board reconvened and approved a motion to hire Parker as interim superintendent.

In other board business:

• A discussion to appoint former Brewster High School principal Linda Dezellem as the Pateros CTE (Career and Technical Educator) Director was tabled. Dezellem is currently serving as the acting CTE Director for Pateros High School.

• Guidelines for the school’s popular ASB Ski Program were another topic. More than 40 students have already signed up for the ski program and registration is still underway.

• 2022-23 enrollment figures were a topic of concern. Pateros High School is currently funded based on an enrollment of 285 students while the post-pandemic enrollment stands at 258.

The next regular meeting of the Pateros School Board is 6 p.m., Nov. 28, in the PHS library and via Zoom.