Richland School District selects new superintendent

RICHLAND — The Richland School District’s next superintendent is coming from Canada to lead the district.

The school board picked Mark Davidson during a special Saturday meeting to take the reins of the 13,700-student system in July. Davidson was one of three finalists interviewed remotely this week because of measures taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

He is taking over for retiring Superintendent Rick Shulte, who has led the district for seven years.

Davidson spent 28 years in education, starting as a middle school teacher before moving into school administration. He became the superintendent of the Medicine Hat School Division in 2016. School divisions are equivalent to school districts.

The Alberta, Canada, school district has 7,400 students across 20 schools.

“Mark’s deep experience as an educator, his record of problem-solving and collaboration and his compassion for all kids will make him an excellent leader for our schools,” board President Rick Jansons said in a news release. “We are eager for him to join our community and lead our district.”

This is the district’s second search for a replacement. The last one ended after district leaders decided to cancel Nicole MacTavish’s three-year contract.

Hank Harris with Human Capital Enterprises and the school board screened several dozen applications from across the country and continent. The board interviewed six candidates before settling on four finalists.

One of those four, Lake Washington’s Jon Holmen, found a different job before the final interview with Richland.