After over a year with the position in flux, North Beach School District will soon have a new superintendent.

The district at a meeting last week approved to offer the position of superintendent to Dr. Jim Shank, who will start July 1, although the appointment won’t become official until the school board confirms it pending successful contract negotiations and third party background check.

The district worked with consulting firm Hazard, Young, Attea Associates to carry out the superintendent search. Since the application period for the position closed Feb. 10, the firm and the district conducted meetings and interviews to narrow down the search to a field of three, who each went through community forums last week.

Shank bested Dr. Sarah Jarnagin and Christopher Schumaker, who were also selected as finalists for the superintendent position.

Shank has 13 years of superintendent experience and currently serves as the superintendent of Idaho Falls School District. He also served as the superintendent of Coupeville School District on Whidbey Island, a position he left in 2018.

Shank has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University and a doctoral degree from Idaho State University. He’s also worked in several other educational positions, including as a director of special education, a teacher, principal and as a director of federal programs and assessments.

Dr. Angela Lyte Crowther has served as interim superintendent for North Beach School District since March 2022. Crowther’s appointment followed the suspension of then Superintendent Andrew Kelly, who was hired in 2018. Kelly later resigned and was sentenced to 60 months of probation on five-year-old charges for Driving Under the Influence.