EDMONDS — Rebecca Miner, who stepped down as leader of the Shoreline School District last year, has been named interim superintendent of the Edmonds School District.
Miner will assume the reins July 1 when Superintendent Gustavo Balderas departs for Oregon, where he will take the helm of the Beaverton School District. Balderas’ last day in the Edmonds district is June 30.
On Tuesday, the Edmonds School Board of Directors unanimously approved hiring Miner for the 2022-23 school year. Miner will earn a base salary of $300,000 under a letter of intent she signed April 21.
A formal contract must still be negotiated with the School Board. It could include other compensation.
“We are confident that Dr. Miner will provide stability to the district by leading and supporting the work of our strategic plan and keeping the district moving forward in a positive direction,” board president Nancy Katims said prior to the vote.
Miner served as superintendent of the Shoreline School District for seven years until leaving June 30, 2021. Before that, she spent three years as superintendent of the White Pass School District in Lewis County.
She currently serves as the interim assistant superintendent for teaching, learning and equity in the Evergreen School District in Vancouver, Washington. She also assists school districts develop and implement plans for fully inclusive learning environments for students with disabilities. She does this through the Washington Association of School Administrators Inclusionary Practices Project.
Over her career, Miner has worked as an administrator overseeing special education services, an associate principal, a high school language arts teacher, a middle school special education teacher and a Spanish teacher.
The board began looking for an interim leader in March shortly after Balderas announced his departure. Directors “reached out to our network of contacts” for potential candidates, Katims said.
Miner was one of two finalists who emerged from the truncated search process. The board hired GR Recruiting to conduct extensive background checks on each. Their work included reviews of social media posts, newspaper stories and verification of educational degrees. The firm will be paid $4,800.
Each finalist underwent 90-minute interviews with the board, Katims said. Prior to those interviews, directors reached out to “seven stakeholder groups” — six staff and one parent — for suggested questions to ask, she said. Some of them did get asked, she said.
This fall, the School Board will begin a national search for a permanent superintendent.
Meanwhile, leaders of the Northshore School District are also looking for an interim leader to take charge this summer when their superintendent, Michelle Reid, leaves for a new job as superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia.
On Wednesday, the board was considering hiring a professional search firm to assist in the effort.
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dospueblos.
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