Middleton School District superintendent Josh Middleton has accepted the superintendent job for the Granite Falls School District in Granite Falls, Wash., according to the Granite Falls district’s website.

The website article said Middleton will start on July 1, pending successful contract negotiations.

Middleton did not return phone calls to Idaho Education News. The Middleton School District board of trustees is meeting Monday night, and an executive session is on its agenda.

After conducting a national search, Granite Falls selected Middleton from a pool of 35 candidates. The school board initiated the search process in February.

Middleton led the Idaho district for three years.

The Middleton district received heated criticism and national attention in November, when teachers dressed in Halloween costumes that some considered racist. The photos were shared widely on Facebook.

Middleton called the photos “insensitive and inappropriate. ” He placed 14 teachers on paid leave and then launched an internal investigation. Within days, the teachers were reinstated. The results of the investigation remain confidential.

In a statement posted to the Middleton district’s website following the investigation, Middleton wrote that “our focus is now one of healing with an opportunity for all of us to grow together as a community.”

The Middleton district also is searching for a new principal. Middleton High principal Ben Merrill’s contract was not renewed.

Plus, Middleton school board members Tim Winkle and Aleisha McConkie will face a recall election, possibly in August, according to a report by Scott Logan of CBS 2 News. The Canyon County Elections Office verified recall petitions have met the number of required signatures.