Superintendent Lynch announces plan to relinquish post

Lynch announced this morning he would accept an offer to fill the superintendent role with OESD 114.

UPDATE (3:41 p.m.):

David Beil confirmed that Lynch was offered, and did accept the position of superintendent at OESD 114.

Beil said the process of selecting a new superintendent will be a discussion the board begins to have in the near future, but would not likely begin until the next school board meeting.

The board holds meetings every other Wednesday. The next meeting is scheduled to take place on April 10.

“The earliest I see that conversation happening would be at the next board meeting,” Beil said.

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In an email to staff and teachers, Central Kitsap Superintendent Greg Lynch announced this morning he would be leaving the district to become the new Superintendent of Olympic Educational Service District 114.

The change will take effect July 1, 2013.

Walt Bigby, the service district’s current superintendent announced earlier he would be retiring at the end of the school year after 13 years with OESD 114.

The email came as employees prepared to take the following week off. The district’s spring break takes place next week, and all employees were given the second half of Friday off as a furlough day.

“As you can imagine, I’m still in the process of absorbing both the personal and professional implications of this change,” Lynch said in the email. “Having served you, our students and staff for nearly a decade, it is difficult to think about being anywhere else next year.”

The educational service district is a state organization that serves a number of school districts with collective planning, purchasing and working. Service districts also act as a go-between for state programs and school districts.

OESD 114 serves the 10 districts on the Olympic Peninsula, as well as the five districts on the Kitsap Peninsula.

The service district is not a governing body that rules over the school districts, but one that works cooperatively with them to administer programs.

School board president Mark Gaines could not be reached by phone. Board member Eric Greene said, per the board’s operating principles, he could not comment on the matter.

The majority of employees at the district’s administration office were gone for the furlough day. At the time of publication, Community Relations Director David Beil had not returned phone calls.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated Lynch had announced his resignation to fill the role at OESD 114, however, Lynch has not announced his resignation, only his acceptance of the new role with the service district.