Updated July 15.
Superintendents statewide are starting to announce their retirement, accept new jobs and tender their resignations.
The leadership shuffle in Idaho schools peaks each spring during prime hiring season, as trustees seek the most qualified candidates.
EdNews tracks it all, and we’ll continue to update this story in the months to come. If you know of any openings or hires that we missed, let us know.
July update
Post Falls Superintendent announces retirement plans
It’s Dena Naccarato’s last school year as the Post Falls superintendent, she announced at a school board meeting Monday evening.
Naccarato has served as the superintendent for the last six years and been with the district as an administrator and principal for the last 22 years. Before that she taught in nearby Lakeland School District for a total of 32 years in public education.
“My mom always told me to retire as soon as I could,” Naccarato said. “After 32 years in public ed, I want to go out on a high note.”
There was no clear successor to Naccarato in place, with two of her fellow administrators — Trina Caudle and Anna Wilson — also nearing retirement age. The trio planned to retire one at a time over the next three years. Caudle retired this June with Naccarato’s departure set for June 2026. Wilson will serve as interim superintendent for the 2026-27 school year, then retire.
That also gives the new school board, elected in November, time to settle in before making the big hire, said Chair Neil Uhrig.
June 26 update
Trustees hire Arizona superintendent to lead Lakeland
The Lakeland School Board hired Rusty Taylor, the superintendent at Naco Elementary School District in Arizona, Wednesday evening.
Taylor will oversee more students in Lakeland than in Naco, where about 275 students in grades K- 8 were enrolled. Lakeland had over 4,500 students enrolled last year.
Trustees did not interview the candidates in an open meeting, share their qualifications with the public or offer patrons an opportunity to ask questions of the candidates.
More details on the hire and process here.
June 23 update
South Lemhi Superintendent interviews for West Bonner Principal job
Shane Johnston, current superintendent at South Lemhi School District, interviewed Monday for the Priest River Lamanna Junior/ Senior High School principal position. Johnston was one of four candidates who answered questions at a community forum. Johnston has led the South Lemhi School District since 2024.
June 17 update
Lakeland: School board to interview superintendent candidates
The Lakeland School Board is set to interview two candidates for superintendent in executive session on Tuesday. Those candidates are Bridgit Arkoosh, who is currently the principal at Heyburn Elementary School in St. Maries, and Rusty Taylor, the superintendent of Naco Elementary School District in Arizona, according to their districts’ websites.
EdNews obtained the names of the finalists through a public records requests. Trustees plan to hold an executive session on June 24 at 6 p.m. to conduct the interviews.
Both Taylor and Arkoosh were also finalists for the assistant superintendent position.
Ultimately, the school board hired Jake Massey, the current principal at Lakeland’s Garwood Elementary School to serve as assistant superintendent.
June 3 update
Mountain View: Superintendent to stay through December
Alica Holthaus will stay at the soon-to-dissolve Mountain View School District through December. Holthaus, who retired from St. Maries, originally took the position to see the district through its deconsolidation vote last month, intending to go back to her retirement this summer.
But candidates for the role were few and largely unqualified, an issue Holthaus attributes to the uncertainty over whether the deconsolidation would pass (it did last month). With the passage behind the district and two new boards of trustees — one for Grangeville and one for Clearwater Valley — set to be appointed in July, Holthaus hopes more people will apply for the role.
The school board will reopen a search late this summer with the intention of the selected candidate continuing on at one of the two new districts following deconsolidation, she said. The deconsolidation will be in place by the 2026/2027 school year.
Lakeland: Superintendent retires, assistant superintendent resigns
Lakeland’s Superintendent Lisa Arnold announced her retirement late last month. Trustees are now tasked with hiring a new district leader and assistant superintendent after Lynn Paslay resigned earlier this spring.
May 14 update
Council: Superintendent will step down this summer
Pat Griffin, the superintendent and elementary principal for Council School District, will step down after this school year, he wrote in an email to staff that was shared with EdNews.
“Please know that this decision has not been easy to make, but is of a personal nature and is what’s best for me and my family,” Griffin wrote.
Griffin said he plans to stay on with the district through June.
May 13 update
Butte County: Former charter director will take over
Jill Hettinger, who is currently a teacher in the Kuna School District, will become superintendent this summer. Before joining Kuna, Hettinger was the executive director and superintendent of Project Impact STEM Academy in Meridian.
Hettinger will replace Joe Steele, who is retiring.
“Dr. Hettinger brings a wealth of experience in administration, curriculum development, and instructional leadership,” a school district social media post said. “Her extensive background in education has been developed from sixteen years of formal teaching and six years in administration.”
Preston: Utah administrator will take the helm; current superintendent will be reassigned
Gary Thomas, who is currently a district administrator in Utah, will become Preston’s leader this summer. Thomas is the assistant superintendent of elementary education support for Cache County School District in Logan, a role he has been in for eight years.
Thomas is from Grace, Idaho, and got his first teaching job at West Side School District before moving to Utah.
“I grew up in Idaho, so it’s a little bit like coming home,” he told EdNews.
“We are excited to welcome him to this role and look forward to his leadership in guiding our district this next school year,” the school district posted on social media.
Thomas will replace Lance Harrison, who is “being reassigned” to write grants for the school district, according to a district official.
April 23 update
Canyon-Owyhee School Service Agency (COSSA): CEO will retire
Patricia Frahm, the CEO for COSSA, will retire this summer. Dr. Kelsey Williams, who is listed as a special education teacher/director at Horseshoe Bend School District, will take over.
COSSA is a regional education center that serves more than 1,100 special education, alternative and career-technical students from five districts, including Notus, Parma, Wilder, Homedale and Marsing.
April 22 update
McCall-Donnelly: Interim superintendent will stay on
Tim Thomas will officially take over as superintendent this summer. Thomas is currently serving as McCall-Donnelly’s interim superintendent as well as principal at McCall-Donnelly High.
Thomas stepped into the interim role when former superintendent Eric Pingrey resigned last fall.
Weiser: Interim superintendent will stay on
Current Interim Superintendent Dave Kerby signed a contract to continue serving in the lead role for next school year.
Kerby stepped in after Kenneth Dewlen resigned.
Notus: Local principal to take over this summer
Jennifer Wright will become Notus’ superintendent this summer. Wright will also continue on as the principal for Notus Jr./Sr. High, her current role.
Wright has held a series of leadership positions for the district, has an education specialist degree in executive leadership and has two master’s degrees in education.
Cascade: Gooding principal will take the helm
Leigh Patterson, who is currently the principal at Gooding High School, will become Cascade’s superintendent this summer, according to Drew Dodson of the Valley Lookout.
He will replace current superintendent Joni Stevenson who resigned last fall but is finishing out the school year.
“With over 22 years in education, Leigh has worked as a teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent, bringing a wealth of experience and a passion for student success,” a district newsletter to families read. “A native Idahoan, Leigh values the importance of strong school-community partnerships and believes in leading by example—continuously learning, growing, and supporting both students and staff.”
Mackay: Local principal to take over this summer
Stephanie Fullmer, who is currently the principal for K-12 students in Mackay School District, will become the district superintendent this summer. She’ll take over for Susan Buescher, who will semi-retire, but stay on for another year as a mentor for Fullmer.
Teton: Local principal to take over this summer
Brian Ashton, who is the current principal at Teton Middle and Basin High, will become Teton School District’s superintendent this summer, according to Danielle Clegg of Teton Valley News.
Ashton will replace current Superintendent Megan Christiansen, who has accepted a superintendent position in Iowa.
March 4 update
Lewiston: Middle school principal selected to replace Hansen
Tim Sperber, the current principal at Lewiston Independent School District’s Sacajawea Middle School, will replace outgoing superintendent Lance Hansen this summer. Hansen is departing to take a superintendent position at Kennewick School District in Washington. Read our profile on Sperber.
Feb. 21 update
Butte County: Joe Steele to retire
Butte County School District in Arco is seeking a new superintendent, as current leader Joe Steele will retire this summer after four years at the helm. The position is advertised here and closes Feb. 28.
McCall-Donnelly: Superintendent search underway
Tim Thomas is currently serving as the district’s interim superintendent and the principal at McCall-Donnelly High School. He took over when former superintendent Eric Pingrey resigned last fall. The position is advertised here and closes Feb. 26.
Feb. 11 update
Lewiston: Hansen takes Washington superintendent job
Lance Hansen, the superintendent at Lewiston School District, will move on to lead the Kennewick School District in Washington this summer, according to The Lewiston Tribune.
He has been Lewiston’s superintendent since 2021.
Oneida County: Rupp, internal hire, will become superintendent this summer
Dallan Rupp will take the helm at Oneida County School District this summer, according to an announcement the district posted on social media. Rupp is currently the principal at the district’s Malad High.
Rupp will take over for Jon Abrams, who is retiring.
Weiser: Former district employee comes out of retirement to become interim superintendent
Dave Kerby has been named Weiser School District’s interim superintendent after Kenneth Dewlen resigned.
Kerby previously “spent 20 years in Weiser” before accepting a superintendent position at a Wyoming school district, according to a statement Jim Brush, chair of the Weiser School Board, shared with the Weiser Signal American. Kerby came out of retirement to act as the district’s interim leader through the end of this school year.
Feb. 3 update
Murtaugh: Capps will retire after 32 years
Superintendent Michele Capps is retiring after serving the district for 32 years, she wrote in an email to EdNews. Rod Jones, who is currently Murtaugh’s high school and middle school principal, will take over next school year.
Parma: Notus superintendent will take over this summer
Micah Doramus, who is currently the superintendent at Notus School District, will take the helm at Parma School District this summer.
He’ll be the district’s third superintendent in as many years.
Stoney Winston left the district at the end of the 2023-2024 school year to take a superintendent position at Fruitland School District. Parma trustees then hired Shane Erickson to take over, but he resigned the week before he was set to begin.
At that point, Dale Layne, a former Jerome superintendent, came out of retirement to lead Parma as interim superintendent for the current school year.
Mountain View: Fourth superintendent search since 2020
Mountain View is looking for a new superintendent for the fourth time since 2020.
Alicia Holthaus, the current superintendent, agreed to come out of retirement for a one-year contract to cover the 2024-25 school year.
She’s the latest in a long line of administrators who have briefly held the position.
Steve Higgins was hired in 2022 but resigned just a year later, according to the Clearwater Progress. The district then hired Kim Spacek from Washington.
Spacek’s contract was not renewed after his first year and a search to replace him turned up three candidates. Only one of the candidates met the required qualifications. The candidate, who was from out of state, turned down the job offer.
Higgins was briefly hired as interim superintendent in the summer of 2024 before Holtaus, who recently retired as St. Maries superintendent and agreed to a one-year contract, largely to help the district get its deconsolidation plan onto the May ballot.
The district is again using ISBA to complete a search to replace Holthaus, as they have done in previous years. The application deadline is March 14.
Oneida: Interviews underway this week
Oneida School District is holding superintendent interviews on Feb. 5. Three candidates applied for the position, including: Brady Garner, the assistant superintendent at Preston School District; Gary Tucker, the superintendent at Marsh Valley School District; and Dallan Rupp, the vice principal at Malad High.
The new superintendent will replace Jon Abrams, who will retire this summer.
Jan. 24 update
Weiser: Dewlen resigns, will step down Jan. 31
Weiser Superintendent Kenneth Dewlen resigned and his last day will be Jan. 31, according to the Weiser Signal American.
“We are in the process of finding an interim Superintendent that will fill the position until the end of the 2025 school year,” Weiser Board Chair Jim Brush wrote in a statement that the Signal American republished. “We will also go through the correct motions of doing a nationwide search for a candidate that fits our culture and maintains the Pride of the Wolverines.”
The board held a special meeting Thursday night, which included an executive session to discuss personnel matters, according to the district’s website.
Trustees are scheduled to interview two superintendent candidates on Tuesday and possibly select one as interim superintendent.
Jan. 3 updates
Wilder: Dillon’s duties cut, co-superintendent named
Alejandro Zamora was named interim co-superintendent — alongside existing superintendent Jeff Dillon — at a special board meeting held November 25. Dillon’s responsibilities have been cut down to overseeing food services and maintenance, while Zamora is overseeing everything else, according to an organization chart the district shared at a Dec. 10 board meeting.
“The board’s been working on educational support and how to make Wilder better going forward, so there’s been an adjustment in leadership,” Laura Shoemaker, the board clerk, said in a Dec. 2 interview.
Zamora had previously been the assistant superintendent, and is also the elementary school principal and federal programs director.
Zamora will be paid $101,640 this school year, according to state data. Dillon will be paid $130,944.
Wendell: Twin Falls leader will take over this summer
Ryan Bowman, the Twin Falls School District’s operations manager, will become superintendent in July, according to the Twin Falls Times-News. He will replace current superintendent Tim Perrigot.
Cascade, Parma, Oneida County seek superintendents
Cascade, Parma, and Oneida County school districts are searching for superintendents and accepting applications through mid-January, according to the Idaho School Boards Association’s superintendent search page.
Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader and reporter Emma Epperly contributed to this report.
