Wilson Creek hires new superintendent

WILSON CREEK - The Wilson Creek School Board hired Monte Redal as district superintendent, at least through the end of the current school year. He starts work Monday.

Redal actually was hired and works for the North Central Washington Education Service District; Wilson Creek is among the schools it serves. Wilson Creek School District contracts with the ESD for Redal's services.

Education Service District Rich McBride said there's tentative agreement on a contract but nothing signed, so he declined to provide salary details. The Wilson Creek School District budgeted $109,515 for a full-time superintendent's position during the 2012-13 school year, according to district financial data on the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction's website.

Redal replaces Brad Smedley, who resigned in January after being on administrative leave for a few months.

Redal will be in the district two to three days per week, said board chair Paul Friend. Redal said it will be up to the board to determine what he will be doing. "I will take my lead from them," he said.

"My commitment to them (Wilson Creek) is through the end of the year," Redal said. What happens after that is still to be determined, he said.

Redal is a former teacher and administrator who spent his career in the Moses Lake School District. He was hired as a third grade teacher in 1976, he said, and taught third grade and later fifth grade before becoming a principal.

He worked as principal at North Elementary and Larson Elementary for 15 years, he said, then was hired as assistant superintendent for finance and operations. He retired from Moses Lake in 2011.

Redal also works part time for the insurance company Canfield and Associates, based in Ephrata. He works in the company's pre-litigation department, he said. "Our job is to work with issues before they become a legal matter." He plans to keep that job while working in Wilson Creek, he said.