Seattle school board extends interim contract; superintendent search continues

(The Center Square) – The Seattle Public Schools Acting Superintendent Fred Podesta will continue as the interim head of the district in the upcoming school year, as the school board continues its search for its next permanent superintendent.

On Wednesday night, the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors unanimously approved the employment agreement with Podesta. He will serve as the interim superintendent for a 10-month period through June 30, 2026, or until the board appoints a permanent superintendent.

Podesta will receive a salary of $320,355 as part of the agreement.

“We are grateful for Mr. Podesta’s leadership and willingness to continue to serve our students as interim superintendent,” School Board Director Gina Topp said during the board meeting.

Podesta kept his comments short, speaking on the support from district staff and promising a successful 2025-26 school year.

Podesta replaces Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones, who announced he was stepping down after the 2024-2025 school year. Jones served as superintendent for three years.

Jones had an annual salary of $348,395 as part of his last contract agreement with Seattle Public Schools.

The board does not have a set pool of applicants for permanent superintendent as of now. However, board members were shown survey results of community needs and the desired traits of the next district lead.

Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates is tasked with finding a new superintendent for the district. In a special board meeting on Tuesday, HYA Associate Micah Ali briefed the board on the findings of the survey conducted this summer. There were 3,526 respondents

According to the survey, 62% of respondents want the next superintendent to prioritize students’ readiness for the next grade and ultimately college, and 55% of respondents want student and employee safety to be a major focus.

The majority of feedback HYA received showed the desired characteristics of the next superintendent include student focus, financial expertise, general experience and accountability.

Board member Liza Rankin emphasized that it is a team effort in supporting students and the district.

“I’m not necessarily expecting some magical unicorn person who is going to come in and save us ... We need to support that person,” Rankin said during Tuesday's special meeting. “We need to be really clear of what we expect from that person and then follow through on what we say we are going to do.”

Students will return to class on Sept. 3.