The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District held a special Board of Education meeting yesterday to vote on an action item that would approve the board’s selection for the next superintendent of schools.
A unanimous vote of approval was held for a final resolution that would authorize the position of Superintendent of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and negotiate a contract with Clayton Holland, the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction.
Holland spoke to the KPBSD Board of Education yesterday on why he applied for the position, “The answer is, really because I care about this district and I care about this place. I care about the people I’ve worked with, both in the past and present. It really has to do with my deep care for this community, for this school district, for the staff and for the students, here. I want to leave this district, when I’m done, if I’m selected being the superintendent, I want to leave this district at new heights. I’m not interesting managing a decline, I’m interested in leading us forward. I’m interested in bringing our students back. We’re going to increase our enrollment. We’re going to continue to offer more options and move us forward in all directions. The other thing is, I offer continuity to this district. People need to remember that we’re still the number 1 district in all the measures in the state, including with our diverse and at-risk populations.”
In speaking to the Board, Holland explained his philosophy in approaching this position, “I think the community wants a leader that reflects themselves. By that, they want somebody who’s going to be a grinder. I’m a grinder. I get in the corner. I do all of the hard work. I’m okay with other people scoring. I work hard. I grind. I care about other people. I care about the team. I think that’s a philosophy our community has. We all work hard, we care about each other. They want somebody to reflect that in their leadership.”
Pegge Erkeneff, Director of Communications, Community, and Government Relations with the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District confirmed to KSRM that all of the candidates were called and learned about the school board’s decision and action to move forward to offer Holland the contract. She says it will be added to the February 1 KPBSD Board of Education meeting to approve, after it’s negotiated, and Holland accepts the offer.
Meet and greet and interviews were held online through the KPBSD’s Zoom and the videos posted on the district’s website.