Coupeville School District announced its new superintendent, Steve King.

King comes from Oak Harbor School District, where he is currently the assistant superintendent.

Originally from Friday Harbor, King first worked as a physical education and social studies teacher for the Mount Baker School District in Deming, which has about 1,900 students.

In 2003, he became the vice principal and then the principal at Mount Baker High School. In 2014, he moved to Oak Harbor to become the assistant superintendent.

King replaces the departing Coupeville superintendent, Dr. Jim Shank, who is leaving for a superintendent position in the Cassia School District in Idaho.

Shank first announced his resignation in April. The search for a new superintendent lasted for more than a month, and the field was narrowed to three finalists, King, Trevor Greene from Highline Public Schools, and Dr. Dennis Goodwin, from Camp Verde Unified School District in Arizona.

There were 28 candidates in total.

The school district’s board of directors was responsible for the selection of the candidates following input from staff, students, parents and the public.

“We had a great field of candidates to pick from,” administrative assistant Jamie Easton said in an email. “The process went smoothly, with lots of feedback, and I feel that our board made a wonderful choice.”

King’s main focus as new superintendent will be supporting student learning in the classroom, he said.

“Everything’s going to be focused around that,” he said, “and making sure teachers have what they need to be successful.”

King said he enjoyed the search process and believes the selection staff did a good job making sure he is the right fit for Coupeville School District.

“I’m really excited about the work ahead of us in Coupeville and I can’t wait to get started,” he said.

King’s first day on the job is July 2.