Oak Harbor School Board members voted to look for an interim superintendent instead of rushing the search for a permanent replacement for Superintendent Lance Gibbon.

Gibbon recently announced he would be leaving Oak Harbor at the end of this school year to take a new job at the Snoqualmie Valley School District.

It is still early in the superintendent search process since Gibbon only announced his move last week.

The timing of Gibbon’s announcement was a major factor in board members’ decision to seek an interim superintendent during a special meeting Tuesday night.

Board President John Diamond said during the meeting that a search now for a permanent superintendent would need to be rushed and would lack public involvement at this point.

The candidate pool would likely be much smaller now than next year too, he said.

“The reality is the best candidates have likely been or shortly may be hired,” Diamond said.

Ideally, Diamond said, school districts begin the search for a superintendent in the fall and hire in the spring for the next school year.

The board directed him to talk with Northwest Leadership Associates, a consulting firm that helps school districts find superintendents, to consider options for opening the search.

The public will be able to view almost all school board meetings about the search for Gibbon’s replacement, except for final interviews and contract negotiations at the very end of the process.