Longview School Board ratifies Patty Bowen as acting superintendent after tense public comment

The Longview School Board voted July 13 to ratify a written acting-superintendent agreement with Patty Bowen, who has served in the role since May 21 while remaining the district’s executive director of business services.

Bowen’s acting appointment, the board said, runs from May 21, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2026, unless the board and Bowen agree in writing to extend it. The board president explained the ratification confirms a contract signed June 24 and preserves continuity while the district addresses ongoing personnel and operational matters. Bowen told the board she has been leading day-to-day operations, including financial continuity, for eight weeks.

The ratified agreement includes a temporary compensation increase beginning in July 2026; the board read a monthly pay figure for the acting-superintendent role in open session and confirmed Bowen continues to receive standard SEBB benefits and leave under district administrative terms. The district said Bowen’s existing executive-director contract was suspended, not terminated, during the acting term, and she will return to that position when the acting appointment ends.

The ratification vote followed more than an hour of public comment. Multiple speakers urged the board to postpone ratification until pending investigations and public records questions are resolved. One commenter alleged, without presenting documents in the hearing, that board members had been witnesses in a prosecution and that the district had over-redacted public records; another argued the board had applied public-comment rules inconsistently and cited state law on public meetings.

"The board has changed or selectively applied its public-comment rules," John Turpin said during the public comment period, later citing RCW 42.32.040 and asking for a transparent, content-neutral process. Another commenter urged the board not to ratify Bowen’s contract while those matters remain unresolved, saying the public record raised "material questions" that should be answered first.

Board members debated terminology and process before the vote. Some members favored the word "ratify" because the contract was already signed on June 24 and the board was confirming it in public; others said signing before the public meeting created process concerns but supported moving forward to ensure continuity for the start of the school year.

After discussion the board called the motion and members present responded 'aye'; the president declared the motion passed and ratified the contract.

The board indicated the ratification is interim and not a permanent hiring decision. The board also noted that matters related to the superintendent’s leave remain a separate personnel issue and that any permanent superintendent search or appointment would follow a different process.

What happens next: the acting appointment remains in effect through Aug. 31 unless the board acts to extend it. The board entered an executive session at the end of the meeting to review public-employee qualifications and returned to adjourn the public meeting at 9:15 p.m.