Pienkos stays as superintendent

Plans for Washington- Caldwell School District superintendent Mark Pienkos to retire next year have been temporarily retired.

At Monday night’s school board meeting, Jill Saltzmann, whom the board selected to replace Pienkos as superintendent next year, asked that she be allowed to work full-time next year as full-time principal, while also taking college coursework to earn superintendent credentials.

The board agreed to that arrangement.

This year, Saltzmann is a half-time teacher and half-time principal at Washington School.

Following the board’s decision Monday night, Pienkos said, as a “very part-time superintendent,” he’ll work the same number of reduced hours he had planned to work when his position next year was envisioned as Saltzmann’s coach and mentor.

Pienkos said next year he’ll mostly focus on taking care of board meetings and special meetings such as the district’s annual meeting. He estimated his total hours next year will add up to “around a week a month.”

Pienkos said he can work away from his office at school next year, and will be focused on preparing meeting agendas and board information packets, conducting meetings and following up on them.

By his working next year as a part-time superintendent, Pienkos said Saltzmann will be able to ease into her future role as superintendent.

The school board will evaluate the situation in a year, Pienkos said, “and we’ll just kind of wait and see.”

“We’re trying to do the best we can ultimately for the kids,” he added.