The White Salmon Valley School District Board of Directors appointed Jerry Lewis, who served as the district’s superintendent for 12 years, as acting superintendent until July following the resignation of former superintendent Sean McGeeney. Lewis retired in 2021.
The board of directors made the unanimous decision to accept McGeeney’s “conceptual” resignation agreement with the district following an executive session of the board Thursday, April 6. Following that decision, they voted unanimously to accept Lewis’ volunteer services starting April 7.
Lewis also works as superintendent part-time at Trout Lake School District.
“I’d just like to say thanks to Dr. Lewis, for his willingness to step forward in our time of need, so to speak. We are incredibly grateful to him for his experience and his generosity in stepping forward to support the district, our leadership in the team and the board in this moment,” said Board Member Peter Harkema.
The vote to accept McGeeney’s resignation comes amid a budgetary crisis for the district, which saw the district’s reserve funds of around $2.6 million depleted in two years under McGeeney’s leadership.
“We want to reassure families that this will be a seamless transition for your students and that there will be no disruptions to their learning experience,” district officials said in a communication to parents and staff. “Questions and concerns are welcomed, although there may be details that we legally cannot share at this time. Please continue to monitor the district’s many communication tools.”
White Salmon Education Association voted “No Confidence” in McGeeney’s leadership in a union-wide vote last Thursday. Education Association President Peter Knowles said in an interview earlier this week that McGeeney’s departure from the district would be “the first step to stop making things worse.
“We need to make sure that the next steps are the best steps long term, to honor the employees that we currently have and maintain staff levels, because that is what makes our schools strong,” Knowles said.
It is unknown whether the district will be paying out the remainder of McGeeney’s contract. Columbia Gorge News sought a response from Board Chair Alan Reitz, who has not yet responded to a request for comment.
McGeeney’s contract, approved June 16, 2022, had authorized an annual salary for $179,025 through June 30, 2025.
The board of directors still has financial considerations to agree upon, including how to overcome a budget deficit of more than $3 million. District officials previously agreed to come to a final decision towards the end of April or early May.
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