Rich Stewart hired as interim La Conner Schools superintendent candidate

Andy Wheeler’s week as acting Schools superintendent is over

By: Bill Reynolds

Andy Wheeler has performed multiple tasks during his six years with La Conner School District.

Now the director of special services has added one more role to the list. July 1 he became the acting superintendent, following Dr. Whitney Meissner’s resignation from the position.

Wheeler understood his new title was strictly temporary.

“I was asked by the board to serve as acting superintendent for the period after Whitney’s tenure to the hiring of the interim superintendent,” Wheeler told the Weekly News, noting that a school district must have a superintendent.

“I anticipate my term will be measured in days,” he said.

He was right. The La Conner School Board hired Rich Stewart as interim superintendent Tuesday after interviewing him July 1.

The only move Wheeler anticipates making is a return to his regular position.

“My duties as acting superintendent are to keep the district operating in the brief time period between superintendents,” he said. “I won’t be making any major decisions, mainly just being sure the day-to-day operations carry on so that things still get done in this time period.”

Meissner ended her three-year stint to become one of two directors of secondary education at Lake Washington School District in King County. It is one of the largest school districts in the state, serving Kirkland, Redmond, north Sammamish and the southern parts of Bothell and Woodinville. The district has a student enrollment of nearly 30,000.

Meissner became superintendent July 1, 2017, after being an administrator in Chimacum.

Richard Stewart has been down this road before, only this time it has led him to La Conner.

Stewart, a veteran Washington state public school administrator, agreed to a contract Tuesday with the La Conner School District Directors to become interim superintendent.

The Board interviewed Stewart last week. It voted Monday to hire the Ferndale resident during its video-conferenced summer retreat. He will be appointed and administered the oath of office at a 4 p.m. Board meeting Wednesday.

Stewart succeeds Dr. Whitney Meissner. Meissner resigned June 30 to become a director of secondary education at Lake Washington School District in suburban King County.

Stewart is quite familiar with the role of interim superintendent. He has spent half his 20 years as a school superintendent in interim roles, said La Conner School Board President Susie Gardner Deyo.

He filled in as interim superintendent of the Kittitas School District in Eastern Washington during the 2017-18 academic year. Prior to that, Stewart was superintendent of Nespelem School District in the heart of the Colville Indian Reservation.

His prior experience at Nespelem will serve Stewart well here, given his background in Native American education and in stewarding federal impact aid monies.

La Conner Schools Director of Special Services Andy Wheeler has served as the district’s acting superintendent since July 1 to bridge the span between Meissner’s departure and Stewart’s hiring.

Stewart will serve until a new superintendent is hired.

Stewart began his career in public education in 1975 after graduating from Central Washington University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in education then returned to Ellensburg a decade later to finish his master’s degree in educational administration.

Stewart attained his superintendent’s credentials at Washington State University in 1999.

The School District will launch a formal search for a new superintendent in January.

A District website link provides access to Wednesday’s meeting.