Ketchikan school board selects Sherry Bollard as interim superintendent, 6–1
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Summary
After private deliberations, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School Board voted 6–1 on Nov. 25 to appoint Sherry Bollard as interim superintendent and directed the board president to negotiate an employment contract for later board approval. The decision follows public interviews of three finalists amid newly disclosed fiscal and staffing challenges.
The Ketchikan Gateway Borough School Board voted 6–1 on Nov. 25 to appoint Sherry Bollard as interim superintendent, directing the board president to negotiate an employment contract for approval at a future meeting.
Member Montgomery moved the appointment and Member Tabb seconded. The motion, read aloud on the record, stated: “I move that the board select Sherry Bollert as interim superintendent and direct the board president to negotiate and finalize an employment contract for board approval.” The board recorded six votes in favor and one opposed (Member Guthrie). The board held the deliberations in executive session before returning to make the public motion and vote.
The selection concludes a public interview process in which three finalists answered nine questions each during 45‑minute interview blocks. Board members pressed candidates on several immediate issues facing the district, including a recently disclosed prior‑year liability and uncertainty over federal Title funding.
During the public interviews, candidate Sherry Bollard described the district’s fiscal situation and the need to prioritize core academic services. In that discussion she referenced a newly identified additional prior‑year debt of approximately $5,200,000 and recommended approaches such as zero‑based or program budgeting and developing multiple budget scenarios to protect essential services.
Board policy requires the negotiated interim contract to return to the full board for approval. The motion directed the board president to complete those negotiations; the board did not disclose contract terms at the meeting.
The board also extended the meeting time earlier in the evening to accommodate the executive‑session deliberations and concluded the special meeting following the vote.
Next steps: the board president will negotiate an interim superintendent contract with Bollard and present the result to the full board for final approval at a subsequent public meeting.
