With interim superintendent in place, East Grand Forks to seek permanent replacement later in year

Joe Banish, Grand Forks Herald
·2 min read

Jun. 17—EAST GRAND FORKS — With an interim superintendent in place for the coming school year, East Grand Forks School District officials now will turn their focus on finding a permanent superintendent later this year.

Bryan Hackbarth will take over on an interim basis, beginning July 1. He comes to the district after serving in the same role at Greenway Public Schools in Coleraine, Minnesota. He replaces Mike Kolness, who has taken the position of superintendent at Kindred Public Schools in Kindred, North Dakota.

Hackbarth's contract will run from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. He will be compensated at an annual rate of $145,000.

School Board President Brandon Boespflug said the district had a shorter-than-usual time frame to hire a permanent superintendent following Kolness announcing his resignation in March. Consequently, it hired Hackbarth on an interim basis.

"We had a short window," he said. "Typically, superintendent searches in Minnesota start in January. Ultimately, the board decided to suspend the search. It wasn't that our applicants were unqualified — we just didn't have enough. We'd be doing the community a disservice if we were just to look at a few applicants."

Boespflug also said the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) assisted the district in hiring Hackbarth, as part of its contractual obligations.

"Part of the contract we have with MSBA for superintendent searches is for them to help us find an interim superintendent," he said. "Throughout the year, MSBA has a handful of either retired superintendents or superintendents who have contacted them, and been vetted as qualified to act as an interim."

Boespflug said there is a possibility that Hackbarth will receive consideration to continue as the permanent superintendent. However, the board plans on resuming the search process in November.

"We're in a unique situation where we have an interim superintendent that possibly will apply to be the long-term superintendent," he said. "Right now, our intent is to reengage with MSBA around November, so that when we reopen the process, we'll be one of the earlier districts to do so. It's very competitive when it comes to hiring licensed superintendents in the state of Minnesota."