South Whidbey School District selects Dr. Becky Clifford as next superintendent; contract negotiations and bond outreach underway

The South Whidbey School District has chosen Dr. Becky Clifford to be its next superintendent, district communications staff said, and the board is now engaged in contract negotiations ahead of an expected July 1 start date.

The district’s Communications Director told attendees that “we're currently at the status of now the contract so contract negotiations,” and that “she's not our superintendent until July 1” while negotiations and formal signing continue. The board is scheduled to review the contract at its Feb. 26 meeting, staff said.

District officials described the superintendent search as a yearlong process that included a public forum and community feedback. The Communications Director said the district held a forum that drew about 120 attendees and that the district received roughly 280 pieces of online feedback from community members during the finalist stage.

While the contract is being finalized, staff said the district will continue community outreach about the bond at several public events. Materials and large-format posters summarizing bond priorities are scheduled to be displayed at the main gym grand reopening at the middle/high school, and a bond update forum is planned for Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m. on ParentsSquare, officials said.

The district did not provide a formal vote tally or public-record motion in this meeting; the Communications Director described the selection and said contract review and signature remain outstanding. The superintendent’s official duties will begin only after the contract is signed and the stated July 1 effective date arrives.

Next steps: the board review on Feb. 26, continued contract negotiations, and bond outreach events including the gym reopening and the Feb. 19 forum.