Marysville School District close to naming permanent superintendent

MARYSVILLE — The Marysville School Board took the penultimate step Monday to appoint Deborah Rumbaugh as permanent superintendent.

During its regular meeting, the board voted unanimously to authorize contract negotiations between interim Superintendent Rumbaugh, Board President Kristen Michal and Board Vice President Eliza Davis. The board will likely finalize a contract before the last meeting of the year on Dec. 1.

“When they signed the interim contract, they said that they were going to determine by the end of the year what the future would look like,” spokesperson Jeanie Lindsay said after Monday’s meeting. “They obviously haven’t set the agenda for the next meeting, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be at the next meeting where they take that vote.”

The board is finalizing a new superintendent job description based on input from a public survey the district released in October, Michal said during the meeting.

“People shared what’s important to them; what values that they want to see in a superintendent,” Lindsay said. “The job description for superintendent has not been updated since like 2001. So, as a part of the work that they’ve been doing to update things and get us in a more solid, updated place, they wanted to do community feedback.”

The board appointed Rumbaugh as interim superintendent on March 17, following the resignation of the previous interim superintendent, Dave Burgess, who returned to retirement. Before that, Rumbaugh had been working with the board as a consultant.

Burgess had been set to serve until the end of the 2024-25 school year after the state said the district’s financial situation needed significant oversight. With his departure, Rumbaugh took over the task of balancing the 2025-26 school year budget and restoring the community’s trust.

It was the world’s longest job interview, Michal said during Monday’s meeting.

“We have had 10 months together to — not only as a board but as a community — to work along Dr. Rumbaugh as we’ve navigated some pretty challenging waters, and we’ve made some pretty difficult decisions together,” she said. “It’s given us the opportunity, I think, to observe in real time her decision-making process, temperament, ability to work with and alongside the community.”

The board, along with Rumbaugh, worked to close two schools and lay off employees at the central office to help reach the district’s financial goals.

In August, the board approved a budget with a fund balance that started at $4 million and ended the school year at almost $6 million, or 3% of the district’s expenditures, which total $199,484,992.

The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s goal for the district is 5%, according to Mike Sullivan, executive director of finance and operations for the Marysville School District, during the August budget presentation. The district has projected a 5% fund balance by the end of the 2026-27 school year.

“If you’re paying attention to the movement that MSD has been making, it’s not hard to get behind moving from an interim superintendency to a permanent, full-time superintendent contract,” Davis said during the Monday meeting.

After the meeting, Rumbaugh said she was grateful for the opportunity.

“I think it’s been a really good opportunity for Marysville and I to work together for the last nine, 10 months, and I appreciate their confidence in me,” she said. “There is a lot of work to do ahead and we’re a good match for each other.”

The board did not consider opening the position to other candidates, Michal said in an email.

“Hiring a search firm could cost the district $40,000 or more, the funds are not budgeted,” she wrote. “Stability in our leadership team, and working with our staff and community will allow the district to continue moving forward not only with our financial goals but to uphold our promise that every student is prepared for their future.”

Taylor Scott Richmond: 425-339-3046; taylor.richmond@heraldnet.com; X: @BTayOkay