Paul Clark has submitted his resignation, leaving Nome Elementary School without a principal.
Clark cites health reasons involving his parents as the reason for his unexpected resignation. He informed the district via email last week while he and his wife, Nome Preschool Director Georgia Clark, were down states for the birth of their fourth child.
From Spokane, Washington, Clark said by phone yesterday that the decision was a sudden one.
“The plan was to be in Nome for quite a while. But I guess one thing we’ve learned in the past several weeks is plans change and things happen in our lives,” said Clark. “You know, for us, family coming first is a really big thing so we’re saddened to leave and it wasn’t the plan but that’s the plan now. So we just have to do what’s best for our immediate family as well as parents and that sort of thing.”
In an interview outside the hospital where Clark says he expects their child to soon be born, he said the original plan was to return to Nome with the whole family and resume work. Now, they will be packing for the move.
“It’s going to be bittersweet for us to return home to Nome as soon as we have a baby,” said Clark. “It’ll be a little odd for us to be back just for one month, because when we came down we weren’t planning on us being down here full time soon.”
Clark says there’s a lot his family will miss about Nome—the people, the school district, and running with the Volunteer Ambulance Department—but says it’s the best decision for his family right now.
For Superintendent Shawn Arnold, Clark’s departure means a scramble to fill this administrative position late in the year.
“The tough thing about this time of the year is most of the job fairs have already passed for educators, and it’s difficult to find a qualified, experienced applicant that’s a good fit with the community and with this particular school,” Arnold said.
But, Arnold says, the search is already underway. They’re canvassing the state and local community and since Friday, have reviewed 30 applications.
“It’s a long process. We want to make sure we make the right choice for the best fit for our community,” he said. “That’s the hardest thing: background checks, references, what experiences they bring, what are the qualities they bring to this job and we’re making sure that we’re going to find the right candidate based on who the whole person is.”
Arnold says Rochelle Bushey, Elementary School social worker, has recently completed her administrator credentials and will be acting principal until a hire is made.
