The Clarinda Community School District has hired a search firm to help find a replacement for departing Superintendent Paul Honnold. Honnold announced Feb. 8th he would be resigning at the end of June. He’s worked in Clarinda for 35 years, including the past 21 years as superintendent. The Daily NonPareil says the Clarinda School Board hired an Ankeny firm to conduct the search. The cost of their services was pegged at $5,750.

In addition, a superintendent search is underway in Riverside, which serves Oakland and Carson. Woodbine resolved its superintendent questions by entering into an agreement with Boyer Valley, while Tri-Center acted quickly to find a replacement for its outgoing school chief.

In other school district news, after nearly a month of opposing continuing to share a superintendent, Boyer Valley had a change of heart the day after Valentine’s Day. The school board for the Boyer Valley Community School District reversed its early decision and approved a sharing agreement that includes a 50-50 split of Superintendent Doug Gee’s time with the Woodbine Community School District. At the Feb. 15 meeting, Boyer Valley also decided to share a principal on a 50-50 basis with Woodbine.

Woodbine’s school board met Feb. 16, its first full meeting since the sharing issue surfaced, and agreed to Boyer Valley’s proposal from the previous evening. The two districts haven’t decided if sharing will be at the elementary or secondary level yet.
By moving to a 50-50 share, the sharing agreement approved by Boyer Valley and Woodbine moves away from the current 60-40 split, where Woodbine only pays for 30 percent of Gee’s salary.

By having a sharing agreement, both districts will receive about $51,500 from the state in incentive payments, easing finances in both districts. Prior to this school year, Woodbine had its own interim superintendent who resigned, followed by an emergency interim sharing agreement with Harlan. Boyer Valley and Woodbine used to share Tom Vint, who left in 2014, when Boyer Valley opted to hire Gee as a combination principal and superintendent. Woodbine and Boyer Valley have moved closer as sharing partners beyond administration, too.

The boards have talked about sharing teachers and classes next year as they operate under a joint grant for the state’s Teacher Leadership and Compensation system for professional development.