State appoints special administrator to oversee Marysville schools

MARYSVILLE — State schools superintendent Chris Reykdal appointed Arthur Jarvis as a special administrator to oversee the Marysville School District on Monday because of the district’s ongoing financial crisis.

Reykdal notified Marysville Superintendent Zachary Robbins of the decision in a letter Monday. In his letter, Reykdal called the appointment an “unprecedented step.” It’s the latest move by the state against the district that has been in binding conditions since August 2023.

As special administrator, Jarvis will oversee changes to all business practices in the district. Jarvis will be responsible for developing a detailed plan for implementing financial conditions imposed on the district.

Late last month, Reykdal placed the district under “Enhanced Financial Oversight,” and listed a series of restrictions, including a district-wide hiring freeze, a freeze on all discretionary school building budgets and a postponement of any new curriculum adoption until the district exits binding conditions.

“You will provide (Jarvis) with whatever documentation he requires in order to carry out the conditions imposed on the district,” Reykdal wrote in the letter Monday.

In a statement released Wednesday evening, Robbins promised the district’s full cooperation with the special administrator.

“The Marysville School District will work diligently with Dr. Jarvis to provide him with the information and resources he needs to complete his work in our district,” Robbins said. “We look forward to learning from his experience and the knowledge he brings to the K-12 education system.”

The special administrator’s duties will include:

• Reviewing and analyzing the district’s operating budget;

• Approving and setting limits on the district’s ability to enter into contracts;

• Overseeing hiring and personnel actions within the district; and

• “If reasonably necessary to avoid filing a dissolution petition, liquidating, or disposing of fixed assets and contractual liabilities.”

Jarvis will work alongside the Financial Oversight Committee imposed by the state. In his letter, Reykdal wrote that Jarvis will also investigate reports of retaliatory behavior, including specific concerns district staff “are (or will) experience retaliation.”

No staff should be “deterred or subject to reprisal” for providing timely and accurate information, Reykdal wrote. While Reykdal wrote he didn’t think it would be necessary, “I will impose amended binding conditions if I determine Dr. Jarvis’ ability to carry out his responsibilities are being impeded.”

District spokesperson Jodi Runyon said in an email, “We are not aware of any reports of retaliation or retaliatory behavior.”

Jarvis, who previously served as superintendent in the Tacoma, Bellevue and Peninsula school districts, is expected to visit the district later this month.

The appointment of a special administrator is the latest event in a tumultuous few years for the district, which has been grappling with an $18 million budget shortfall. Since Marysville entered into binding conditions last year, Alvin Cooper, former director of Human Resources, resigned in June, followed a few days later by the departure of school board President Wade Rinehardt.

Michael Henneke: 425-339-3431; michael.henneke@heraldnet.com; X: @ihenpecked.