MONROE — The school board expects to hire the district’s next superintendent this week, and the public can assist with the decision.
On July 21, the school board zeroed in on three finalist candidates to invite for interview. They are:
• Marci Larsen, who retired as Mukilteo School District’s superintendent at the end of 2019.
• Marcus Pimpleton, an executive director in Marysville Schools who was hired there in 2021, and
• Sheldon Rosenkrance, who was school district superintendent of Estes Park, Colorado until he separated from there earlier this year.
The school board is scheduled to do interviews and make a selection at its meeting Thursday, July 28 starting at 1 p.m. It should wrap up later that afternoon. During the process, people can contribute survey input on each candidate via computer.
The school board agreed to separate with embattled Superintendent Justin Blasko earlier this month. Allegations he demeaned employees and led a hostile workplace were found mostly credible by a third-party investigator. He’s been on administrative leave since mid-December and will be paid almost $397,000, equal to one year of salary plus cashing out an array of job benefits. The payout is with general district funds.
Last week, school board president Jennifer Bumpus said this payout is cheaper than some of the other options available, such as holding Blasko on indefinite administrative leave for three years until his
contract expired; to terminate Blasko for cause, which put the district vulnerable to a lawsuit and could protract his exit; or return Blasko to being superintendent, which the board didn’t want to do.
“We, as a board, felt that negotiating a separation agreement was our best option,” Bumpus wrote. The board voted unanimously to separate.
Blasko’s contract allowed the board to terminate for cause, but contains cut-and-dry language for what other options there were to let him go. The contract could be terminated only “by mutual agreement, retirement, or resignation,” it reads.
If terminated for cause, state law would allow Blasko to appeal to a hearings officer, and continue being paid until that officer renders a decision. The hearing would require the district to show a preponderance of the evidence that the termination was correct. Fail that, and the termination is nullified and Blasko would keep his job.
All teachers and principals are protected under the same termination law.
Blasko’s formal last day is July 31.
Last week, the board signed a short-term contract with a fill-in superintendent in case the job needs time beyond the end of the month to finalize its superintendent selection. The agreement is until Monday, Aug. 8 with Carl Bruner, the retired superintendent of the Mount Vernon School District.
MONROE — After being on paid administrative leave for more than six months, Monroe School Superintendent Justin Blasko has agreed to resign his position on July 31. He’ll walk away with $396,374.55.
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