MSD finalizes contract for new superintendent

A contract was approved for the new superintendent of the Marysville School District, Zachary Robbins, who is scheduled to start on July 1.

The Marysville school board approved the contract unanimously on March 21 after negotiations over the last few weeks.

“I personally feel that this candidate came to the top because he best fit what Marysville needs today,” said school board president Paul Galovin. “He will help to bring our district into tomorrow."

The contract’s term is four years with a pay of $265,000 per year.

That is within the range of wages that board members agreed to early in the superintendent search process as GR Consulting, their consulting firm for the search, said high pay was necessary to attract the best candidates.

The wage is comparable to what other school districts in the area pay, according to officials at GR Consulting.

The salary is a slight increase from the previous superintendent’s wage.

“We advanced the pay for standard cost of living,” said Galovin.

“At that time we were somewhere in the middle of the pack,” he said, which is where the school district continues to be.

“We didn’t try and get ourselves onto the top spenders,” he said.

There are not many changes from the previous contract, with only a couple of things taken in and out.

“This language mostly comes from that previous contract,” said Galovin.

There were a couple of updates which added stipends for a work computer and cell phone.

“There is some legal language in there that if the superintendent gets into a criminal prosecution the district has a way to back out,” said Galovin, who said that became necessary due to the behavior of other superintendents in the state.

“I didn’t think a school district in Washington state would have to face those issues a few years ago, but it happens,” he said.

The annual evaluation of the superintendent by the school board remains a part of the contract.

School board members thanked GR Consulting for their work to search out candidates.

“This has been a long process to get to Dr. Robbins, coming down from 49 candidates to one,” said school board member Wade Rinehardt.

Galovin said it was long search for the district’s next superintendent.

“Nothing about the process was quick and easy, and a lot of it required a lot of discussion and debate,” he said.

He said he was glad the district can now focus on education again.

“We’re well overdue to have our school district to be in full operating order, and having [new superintendent Robbins] on board will put us directly on that path,” he said.

Robbins said he looks forward to meeting with more students, families and staff this summer and will take the responsibility seriously.

“I am absolutely humbled by this opportunity to be the next superintendent of the Marysville School District,” he said. “Education provides the pathway to freedom and prosperity for so many people. I appreciate your confidence in me with this important stewardship. It is a stewardship I take very seriously because I was the first one in my family who graduated from college."

Acting superintendent Chris Pearson also welcomed Robbins to the district.

“I speak for our district leadership team in that we’re excited to get started with you,” he said.

Pearson currently plans to stay with the district’s administrative staff in a more focused role.

“He has been working for a while now as interim superintendent with a lot on his plate,” said Galovin. “I’m looking forward to seeing him take off full-time about making our academics a highlight."