District 197 Superintendent's Deal with Farmington Finalized

It’s official. District 197 Superintendent Jay Haugen is the new superintendent of the Farmington Area School District.

His contract was finalized Monday, said Haugen at his last District 197 School Board meeting Monday night at .

Initially, the contract process was expected to take another month or so of "back-and-forth," said Haugen, but that ended up not being the case.

His last official day with the district is July 14; however, Haugen said he would share his time while the district transitions.

The school board’s personnel committee was directed to begin the search for an interim superintendent and bring forward a recommendation as soon as possible.

Residents that want to have input on the criteria for an interim superintendent are encouraged to contact personnel chair Dewayne Dill (dewayne.dill@isd197.org).

Once an interim superintendent is found, a more methodical search could begin for a permanent replacement, said board member Pat Barnum at the meeting.

In the meantime, board member Cristina Gillette asked how an interim superintendent would play a role in promoting the in November. She said Haugen played an active and public role in the district’s to pass a levy question.

The selection of an interim could be strategic in that respect, if the district were to select someone with referendum experience, according to board chair Robin Rainford.

The district will also be relying on the strength of the district’s administration to operate existing initiatives through the transition.

“We’ll be working closely with the cabinet to make sure that things that are in place continue,” said Barnum.

Haugen was offered the job in Farmington June 28, a formality after his lone competitor dropped out of the search the Friday before.

Haugen said shortly after that announcement that working for Farmington, which he characterized as a growing district, is a professional opportunity. “Sometimes they come around a little earlier than you would maybe have planned them out."

"Jay has done a tremendous job," said Rainford in June. "I think first of all we’d like to recognize he’s brought us to a place that we could not have imagined."

Rainford said at the time that the selection process of a new superintendent may dovetail with the efforts of the district’s new Strategic Redesign Committee and referendum campaign, a time when the board will be gathering community input on the direction and priorities of the district.

The board recognized Haugen’s contributions to the district with an award and a statement acknowledging his contributions.