Updated on July 2.
Superintendents statewide are announcing their retirement, accepting new jobs, and tendering their resignations.
The leadership shuffle in Idaho schools peaks each spring during prime hiring season, as trustees seek the most qualified candidates.
EdNews tracks it all, and we’ll continue to update this story in the months to come. If you know of any openings or hires that we missed, let us know.
July 2 update:
With the new fiscal year underway, most districts statewide have found leaders — with a few exceptions. Here’s a roundup of the most recent leadership news.
Mountain View School District
Taking over: The district does not yet have a new leader. Carly Behler, the district’s comptroller, said three candidates interviewed for the position, and the job was offered to an out-of-state candidate who turned it down. The other two candidates are local teachers who do not meet the required qualifications. Trustees will meet Monday to determine next steps.
Leaving: Trustees did not renew former superintendent Kim Spacek’s contract. He has since accepted a leadership position for West Bonner School District.
Council School District
Taking over: Patrick Griffin, the former principal at Council Elementary, is now the superintendent.
Leaving: Mike Howard came out of retirement to serve as interim superintendent until a replacement was found.
South Lemhi
Taking over: Shane Johnston is the new superintendent. EdNews reached out to Johnston for more information on his background and qualifications, and will update this story if he responds.
Leaving: Kevin Ramsey will serve in another position within the district.
Valley School District
No change: Eric Anderson, who was serving as an interim, part-time superintendent, will stay on for the upcoming school year.
Hagerman
No change: Bill Hicks, who was serving as the interim superintendent, will stay on for the upcoming school year.
June 27 update:
McCall
Taking over: The superintendent opening is not yet posted. Current Superintendent Eric Pingrey wrote in an email that trustees “will be starting a search soon.”
Leaving: Superintendent Eric Pingrey plans to retire early, and will depart by the end of the 2024-25 school year. Pingrey has led the district since 2021.
June 24 update:
Orofino
Taking over: Trustees are beginning the process of searching for a replacement.
Leaving: Superintendent Michael Garrett recently resigned and his last day is June 30, according to the district’s board clerk, Carmen Griffith. Griffith declined to give further comment on why Garrett is departing. In an email to EdNews, Garrett wrote that he had no comment on the matter.
Garrett has been superintendent in Orofino since 2017, and prior to that he led a school district in Missouri, according to the Clearwater Tribune.
June 10 update:
Garden Valley
Taking over: Hannah Spafford, the interim associate director for the Idaho Association of School Administrators, will take over as Garden Valley’s superintendent and principal, serving in a part-time capacity in both roles.
Leaving: She will replace Patrick Goff, who resigned and will step down this summer.
West Bonner
Taking over: Kim Spacek has accepted the superintendent position, but his hire will not be finalized until a June 17 board meeting. Spacek is currently the superintendent at Mountain View School District, where his contract was not renewed.
Leaving: Spacek will replace interim superintendent Joe Kren, who stepped in after the fiasco that ensued when former legislator and state superintendent’s candidate Branden Durst briefly became the district’s leader.
Salmon
Taking over: Jill Patton, the principal at Salmon’s Pioneer Elementary, will take over as superintendent this summer.
Leaving: She replaces interim superintendent Chris Born, who stepped in when Troy Easterday resigned in January.
Shelley
Taking over: Douglas McLaren, the principal at Thunder Ridge High in Idaho Falls, will become superintendent in July.
Leaving: Outgoing superintendent Chad Williams accepted a position as the Idaho High School Activities Association’s executive director.
May 8 update:
Coeur d’Alene
Superintendent Shon Hocker is a finalist to lead an educational support district (which supports 25 school districts and 20 private and tribal schools) in Yakima, Wash., according to Devin Weeks of the Coeur d’Alene / Post Falls Press.
Hocker also applied for a similar position in Pueblo, Colo., but was not selected, Weeks reported.
Hocker’s applications have caused an uproar in the community, and come as trustees — facing a projected budget shortfall of more than $4 million — have decided to close a school, amid other cuts.
Weeks reported that Hocker wrote a letter to staff Monday to address the contention and assuage concerns: “Despite the mean and nasty posts circulating on social media about my candidacy, including some sent to the communities and school districts where I am a finalist, I want to reassure you of my commitment to the well-being and success of our school district.”
May 7 update:
Garden Valley
Taking over: The Garden Valley School District has an opening for superintendent and principal.
Leaving: Superintendent Patrick Goff resigned, and will step down this summer. Trustees accepted his resignation at a special meeting on Saturday, May 4. A few weeks earlier, on April 27, trustees rescinded a principal job offer that had been extended to Clete Edmunson, the embattled former superintendent of Council School District.
At Saturday’s meeting, trustees formed a principal hiring committee made up of teachers, parents, and community members. Janelle Shannahan, Garden Valley’s board clerk, said trustees did not form such a committee the first time around.
“It was just one of those things that could have been handled a little different,” she said.
The board meets next on May 22.
Parma
Taking over: Douglas “Shane” Erickson has been selected as Parma’s next leader. Erickson is currently director of the Southeast Education Service Center in Price, Utah, according to a document the district shared online. Erickson also served as superintendent of Piute County School District in Junction, Utah, from 2012 to 2019, and “has collaborated with Utah legislators and the governor’s office to secure school funding.”
Leaving: Current Superintendent Stoney T. Winston will step down in June to take the helm at Fruitland School District.
“It has been an honor and privilege to serve as the superintendent of this remarkable school district and as the middle school principal prior to that,” Winston wrote. “The journey has been filled with meaningful experiences, and I am proud of the progress we have made together.”
April 29 update:
Jerome
Taking over: Brent Johnson will take up the helm this summer. Johnson is currently principal at Thomas Jefferson Elementary in Wausau, Wisc.
“Brent Johnson brings a wealth of experience in educational leadership to our district and is well-prepared to lead our schools into a bright and promising future,” a press release from the school district read.
Leaving: Current superintendent Pat Charlton will retire this summer.
April 18 update:
Mountain View
Taking over: The position is currently unfilled.
Leaving: Kim Spacek, who is in his first school year as Mountain View’s superintendent, will depart this summer. He said trustees did not renew his contract: “The board wants to go in a different direction.”
For now, Spacek plans to return to Washington, where he previously lived. However, he said he’s open to returning to Idaho for another leadership position if one arises, partly because he’s impressed by the state’s career readiness opportunities and programs like Idaho Launch. “It’s all good stuff for kids,” he said.
Mountain View School District is asking voters to approve a two-year, $5.8 million supplemental levy in May, after voters have rejected four consecutive levies. School leaders have also discussed the possibility of deconsolidation, but Spacek said they’ve tabled that for now to focus on the election.
April 11 Update:
New Plymouth
Taking over: Wade Wilson has become the new leader at New Plymouth School District, according to the Argus Observer. Wilson was formerly the superintendent at Weiser School District before retiring last summer.
Leaving: Wilson replaces interim superintendent Wil Overgaard, who came out of retirement to take the position when former superintendent David Sotutu resigned last summer.
Garden Valley
This update is about a former superintendent, Clete Edmunson, who stepped down from Council School District last June amid pending litigation and a school board investigation. At the time, Edmunson penned an op-ed reflecting on his tenure in the school district and his decision to retire.
But his retirement didn’t last long. He soon took a job at a school in Slana, Alaska, and was recently hired as a principal for Garden Valley School District. He will begin his new role this summer, replacing current principal Steve Lynch.
The leadership shift comes as Garden Valley has made headlines for systemic violations of federal special education law.
Parma
Leaving: Current Superintendent Stoney T. Winston will step down in June to take the helm at Fruitland School District.
“It has been an honor and privilege to serve as the superintendent of this remarkable school district and as the middle school principal prior to that,” Winston wrote. “The journey has been filled with meaningful experiences, and I am proud of the progress we have made together.”
Taking over: A new superintendent has not yet been selected.
Fruitland
Leaving: Current superintendent Lyle Bayley will retire this summer.
Taking over: Stoney Winston, the current superintendent at Parma, will become Fruitland’s leader this summer.
“The Board greatly appreciates Mr. Bayley and his service to Fruitland School District and looks forward to a seamless transition to Mr. Winston,” Fruitland Board Chair Matt Frye wrote in a press release.
North Gem
Leaving: Current Superintendent Todd Shumway has accepted a position as an adjunct professor for Brigham Young University — Hawaii and will be moving to Auckland, New Zealand. In his new role, he’ll be “coordinating church schools throughout Oceania.”
Shumway will stay on at North Gem through the end of his contract in June.
Taking over: Kyler Miller, currently a teacher in the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District, will become the North Gem superintendent this summer under an alternate authorization. Miller plans to begin a doctoral program and work toward earning his superintendent endorsement.
Mackay
Leaving: Christine Ivie, who took over last summer when Susan Buescher retired, resigned at the end of January. Buescher then stepped back in, and is currently serving as part-time superintendent.
Last fall, Ivie was working as both the Mackay superintendent and the director of Heritage Academy in Jerome. She has previously made headlines for a defamation lawsuit against the Idaho Public Charter School Commission. That case is now nearing a settlement.
Taking over: The superintendent position had previously been advertised. At the time of publication, it was unclear if a new leader had been selected, as multiple calls to the district went unanswered on Thursday. We will update this story if more information becomes available.
March 7 Update:
Salmon
Chris Born, a history teacher at Salmon High, has taken over as the district’s interim superintendent after Troy Easterday abruptly resigned from the position in January. Born served as the district’s superintendent from 2015-2022. “I wanted to end my career on a really good note,” he said of returning to teaching in 2022. “I still like being in the classroom with kids; that’s still joyful to me. So I wanted to end my career having fun rather than running the school district.”
But for now, he’s back at the helm. He plans to retire this summer; trustees are actively seeking candidates for the position.
In a March 6 interview with EdNews, Easterday said he resigned due to “family health issues” and to be closer to his family in Hagerman. Easterday said he’d been discussing a possible resignation with trustees for months, and that he left on good terms with the Salmon school board.
Feb. 16 Update:
Kuna
Superintendent Wendy Johnson is moving on to an area director position with the Boise School District. She’ll stay on at Kuna until June 30, when Assistant Superintendent Kim Bekkedahl will take over as interim superintendent for the 2024-25 school year.
Feb. 8 Update:
Hagerman
Bill Hicks has been named interim superintendent for the rest of this school year, according to the district’s website. Hicks replaces former superintendent James Brown, who trustees dismissed after police investigated him for allegedly “showering nude in front of junior high and high school boys,” according to the Times-News’ Monica Carillo-Casas.
Council
Mike Howard is serving as the district’s interim superintendent this school year, after former superintendent Clete Edmunson resigned amid pending litigation and a school board investigation. Howard was formerly the superintendent at New Meadows; he retired last summer, then took the helm at Council.
Jan. 31 Update:
Boise
Leaving: Superintendent Coby Dennis will retire this summer.
Taking over: Longtime Boise educator Lisa Roberts, becoming the district’s first female superintendent.
Fremont County
Leaving: Dave Marotz, who was serving as interim superintendent.
Taking over: Brandon Farris, who is currently the principal at Wyoming’s Clear Creek Middle School, will start as superintendent this summer. Originally from Jerome, Farris told EastIdahoNews.com that becoming a superintendent “is a dream come true.”
“Dr. Farris brings a wealth of experience and dedication to education, and we look forward to the positive impact he will make on our school district,” a district announcement read.
South Lemhi
Leaving: Superintendent Kevin Ramsey will stay with the district, but take on a different role this summer.
Taking over: The position is currently advertised on edjobsidaho.com.
Valley
Leaving: Former Superintendent Jennifer Jacobson resigned in November following a disagreement with the board of trustees. Eric Anderson is acting as interim superintendent.
Taking over: The position is currently advertised on edjobsidaho.com.
Jerome
Leaving: Superintendent Pat Charlton will retire this summer.
“I’ve been at this business for a long time, this is my 45th year in education and my 39th year as an administrator, and so I decided it’s probably time to start enjoying my grandkids and my family, and as well as some of my passions like skiing and so forth,” Charlton told kmvt.com.
Taking over: The position has not been filled yet.
New Plymouth
Leaving: Superintendent David Sotutu resigned at the end of the 2022-2023 school year, according to argusobserver.com.
In his resignation letter, which was obtained by the Argus Observer, Sotutu cited Idaho’s political climate as a reason for leaving: “While our school district and community have been very supportive of our students and educators, the state of Idaho’s hostility towards public education is suffocating,” he wrote.
Taking over: Wil Overgaard is the district’s interim superintendent, who came out of retirement to help. It’s the second time he’s done so, having previously come out of retirement to serve as interim superintendent at Buhl School District.
He said his returns to leadership speak to the lack of qualified superintendents in Idaho: “There’s a shortage, there’s no question.”
On top of that, New Plymouth School District’s opening came after prime superintendent hiring season, which was a factor.
The position is now open again, and is being advertised on the Idaho School Boards Association website.
Shelley
Leaving: Chad Williams will become the Idaho High School Activities Association’s executive director this summer, replacing Ty Jones, who will retire.
“I look forward to the journey ahead and the positive impact we can make together,” he said in a press release. “My primary focus is on fostering relationships across Idaho, with the ultimate goal of offering students enriching opportunities for learning, personal growth, and excellence through extracurricular activities.”
Taking over: The position is currently advertised on edjobsidaho.com.
Fruitland
Leaving: Current Superintendent Lyle Bailey will retire this summer.
Taking over: The position is currently advertised on the Idaho School Boards Association website.
Idaho EdNews data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.
