I got word last weekend that the decision would be announced soon, and it happened today;
Jane Stavem, currently the superintendent of Lake Washington School District in Redmond, Washington, was announced as the new superintendent during a press conference held by the Sioux Falls School Board Friday afternoon at the Instructional Planning Center.Â
Redmond is very close to Seattle and just a few miles from where I went to HighSchool in Lynwood. Microsoft’s headquarters is in Redmond. I am very familiar with the area. It’s a more affluent school district and less diverse than Sioux Falls.
“They (Stavem and Maher) have a lot of similarities. They’re both very strong in their communication and relationship building,” board vice president Carly Reiter said.
While I know very little about Stavem, I can tell you that while Maher started out strong with these characteristics he soon dug a hole and lacked transparency. From listening to the press conference, it sounds like she brings a lot of skills to the table including some political savvy. I look forward to finding out more about her.
I also think she will probably be one of the highest paid public education employees in the state, because I doubt she left her job for less pay. She will probably be making $300K plus in benefits and salary. (she made $295K last year in her current position).