Admin changes made at schools

Five of six administration positions in the Grand Coulee Dam school system will change for the new school year.

Superintendent Dr. Dennis Carlson concludes his six years here June 30, and is being replaced by Paul Turner. Turner was hired by the board to follow Carlson this spring, after it was learned Carlson planned to retire. This year Turner was assistant principal at the junior/senior high school and prior to that principal at Tonasket.

Things moved fast at the school board meeting Monday night. The board accepted the resignation of junior/senior high school principal Ronanda Liberty, who has taken a similar position in the Ritzville school, system.

At the same meeting, the school board elevated Mark Herndon to take Liberty’s place. Herndon had been hired as assistant principal to replace Turner who was moving to superintendent.

Herndon and his wife, Melanie, were at the school board meeting Monday night and reported that they had already purchased a home in Grand Coulee.

Herndon had been principal at Clallam Bay K-12 in the Cape Flattery School District at Sekiu, Washington.

Also Monday night, the school board accepted the resignation of athletic director Richard Black, and then named him to fill an open position on the school board.

Black takes over director zone 5, and will have to stand for election this November. The position has been vacant for over a year.

Twice the school district has advertised for a replacement, but neither time received a response

Black will be seated next month.

New next year will be Margo Piver, who was hired in May to become assistant principal of Lake Roosevelt Elementary, after the departure of Nate Piturachsatit Piver comes to the district from the Walla Walla School District.

There are still two openings in the district’s administrative team.

The district will advertise for an assistant principal of the junior/senior high school to replace Herndon, who moved up to principal. The district will also advertise for an athletic director to replace Black.

The onlys school administrator remaining in place is Lisa Lakin, principal of the elementary school.

In other action Monday night, the school board accepted the resignations of Marilyn Lippert, special education; Mario Adams, LRHS head basketball coach and Spanish tutor; Ralph Rise, longtime biology teacher, who is going to the Nespelem School; Holly Weston, psychologist; and Karmen Webb, SHARP KIDS dual site coordinator.

New hires and changes of position were approved by the board for Madisyn Byam, SHARP KIDS summer assistant leader; Mary Schilling, grants coordinator; Lisa Carson, Title VI/JOM paraprofessional in the elementary school; Rebecca Hunt, Title VI paraprofessional at the junior/senior high school; Ashley Landeros, check in, check out paraprofessional in the elementary school; and April Oates, special education/food server paraprofessional in the elementary.