Committee reviews succession plan for Instructional Services after Evink announces retirement

The Board Labor & Policy Committee discussed succession planning for Instructional Services after Kristin Perkowski reported that Mary Jane Evink is building a retirement plan and that cabinet would like a year of side-by-side training with Evink and her successor to preserve institutional knowledge.

Perkowski said the Instructional Services department is understaffed and carries a high workload. She and Jason Reinecke told trustees that in some districts Instructional Services oversees building and principal coordination, prompting the committee to consider options including appointing an interim leader or creating a new coordinator position under the executive director. Perkowski said creating a new, permanent position would require formal Board approval; an interim appointment could be made administratively.

Trustees discussed timeline and structural options and emphasized the value of a transition period to transfer operational knowledge. The committee did not make a final decision; the administration will return with a recommended timeline and any job-description changes for the Board to consider.

Next steps: administration will clarify whether an interim appointment or a new position is preferable and present a recommendation to the Board, and the committee will monitor staffing needs during the transition.