BSSD appoints interim superintendent
Last week in a special meeting school board meeting Tammy Dodd’s interim superintendent contract for Bering Straits School District was approved. The contract is valid until June 2024, with the intention of having a permanent superintendent hired by July 1. Susan Nedza, former superintendent unexpectedly resigned in December.
During the meeting the board also approved a contract with the Alaska Association of School Boards, or ASSB, to collaborate in the search for a permanent hire.
The Nugget sat down with Dodd to hear about her history with BSSD and learn about her new role as interim superintendent.
Dodd moved to Unalakleet with her husband in 1991. The following year she began working at the school as a teacher’s aide which she continued to do for seven years while earning her teaching certification. In 2000 she became a certified teacher and taught at the Unalakleet school for 10 years. In 2010 she earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and shifted to working at the BSSD district office. Dodd began the 2023 school year in her new position of assistant superintendent and with the guidance of Nedza earned her superintendent certification.
“Susan was really, really good about bringing me into the picture of everything that happened with the district,” Dodd said.
Nedza who began her role as superintendent in 2022, left the district due to personal, familial reasons. Dodd said it was a little surprising, especially with the announcement coming right before winter break making it difficult to complete all the transitions.
“But I have a great team here at the district office, and Susan and I we’re on the same page with so many of our issues going forward with our district, our curriculum, our stances,” Dodd said. “People shouldn’t notice a big shift or change in anything that’s going on with the district.”
Search for Superintendent BSSD’s partnership with AASB is how they found their last superintendent. Just like last time, AASB will meet with the school board to develop criteria, accept materials from candidates and conduct background checks. Together with the board, AASB will screen semi-finalists and finalists and arrange for interviews. BSSD school board will make the final selection, with the intention of securing a new superintendent by July 2024.
During the meeting school board members asked how wide the “open search” would be and if it would include in-house employees. Chair of the board Willow Olson said the parameters can be set by the board during conversations with AASB when they’re setting their intentions.
“I think it’ll be really important for us to share the policies and the requirements of the job within BSSD policy,” Second Vice Chair of the board Silas Paniptchuk said. “I feel like in our in our last search some of those things weren’t met. So we have to be pretty direct with AASB on those policies.” Following their discussion the board approved the contract with AASB.
When asked by the Nugget if she was interested in taking over the role of superintendent Dodd said “Rural Alaska is my family, Unalakleet is my home, it has been for over 30 years. I can’t see myself anywhere else. I started off as a as a classified person, I became a certified teacher, I became an administrator and now I’m interim superintendent. So it’s kind of like the top of the education field. Most likely I will, but it’s not set in stone.”