OTHELLO — Othello School District officials plan to recommend a candidate, or candidates, to replace assistant superintendent Gina Bullis by the Aug. 14 meeting of the Othello School Board. Bullis’ resignation, effective Aug. 31, was accepted recently.
Bullis said she’s leaving to pursue other opportunities. She has worked for the district for about 15 years.
Othello superintendent Chris Hurst said interviews are scheduled for Aug. 8, with a recommendation for the board at its next meeting.
“The job will no longer be an assistant superintendent position,” Hurst wrote. “We are taking the opportunity to split the position into two positions to better support our needs as a school district.”
The two new positions will be executive director of business services and project/risk manager, Hurst said. “This position (project-risk manager) allows us to fold in additional much-needed supervisory responsibilities.”
The business executive director job will pay between $118,668 to $124,721 per year, depending on the person’s experience, according to information provided by the school district. The job involves preparing the district’s annual budget, along with long-range financial planning. The job also includes supervising the nutrition services department, finance departments like payroll and internal audits, transportation, facilities and finances, among other things. The executive director for business is also in charge of buying property and working on levy and bond proposals.
The project/risk manager salary will be between $79,032 and $83,347 per year, depending on the experience of the person hired, according to information from the district. The new employee will be in charge of any construction projects, either new construction or remodeling.
The risk management will require reviewing district operations and facilities to minimize any risk and maximize the chance for safe operation. That job is also responsible for emergency response plans. The project manager also will be in charge of the custodial department, including staffing, scheduling and equipment.
Matt Stevens, who had been the district’s human resources director, resigned in June to take a job as the principal at East Valley High School in Spokane Valley. The district’s federal programs director, Mike Villareal, resigned in June to take a job as superintendent of the Hoquiam School District.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.