Cvitanich picked for Olympia post

SANDPOINT — The Lake Pend Oreille School District will soon require a new superintendent.

After Dick Cvitanich’s meeting last week with the board, administrators, teachers and parents of Olympia School District, board members unanimously selected him as their new superintendent.

 Cvitanich will replace Bill Lahmann as the executive administrator for the 9,200-student district, located in the Puget Sound area of Washington, on July 1.

“I’m pleased I was selected,” Cvitanich said. “It was a very competitive process and I’m excited to go to Olympia, but these moves are always bittersweet.”

Mark Campeau, president the Olympia School Board, said they selected Cvitanich primarily for the breadth of his experience. As an educator who has served at all levels within the system, they determined he had the firsthand knowledge necessary to effectively manage employees, finances and academic programs alike. They were also impressed by his bearing and the reasoned, meticulous answers he gave to inquiring visitors at his all-day meeting last Wednesday.

“When he walks into a room, you know he’s the superintendent,” Campeau said.

For Cvitanich, family topped the list of reasons to consider the Olympia position. Both he and his wife have close relatives in the Puget Sound area, including his 87-year-old mother-in-law. The couple had been keeping an eye on career opportunities within the area, and when the Olympia position opened up, Cvitanich decided to apply.

Now that Cvitanich has been selected for the position, he and the Olympia School Board will enter a negotiation period to finalize his compensation package and settle other terms and conditions. Once those matters are completed, Cvitanich will prepare for the move to Washington. The transition won’t be an easy one.

“These have been the best six years of my educational career and some of the best people I’ve had the privilege of working with,” he said. “I’m very pleased of what we’ve been able to accomplish.”

For the Lake Pend Oreille School Board, the search for a new superintendent will have to be a quick one. According to board chair Vickie Pfeifer, she and her fellow board members will want a replacement ready for the coming school year.

“We’re sad to see Dick go,” she said. “He’s been a tremendous asset for our school district.”

With Cvitanich’s possible move in mind, board member Mindy Cameron investigated consulting firms to aid in the superintendent search. At a school board meeting Tuesday night, members decided to hire Northwest Leadership Associates as a consultant and hope to have a candidate selected by the third week of May. Pfeifer said she feels comfortable about the board’s ability to bring a qualified and talented administrator into the district.

 “We’re well-positioned financially and we’re well-positioned academically,” she said. “I think a lot of good candidates will be attracted to this district.”