Woodford resigns as superintendent

Big Horn District No. 2 Superintendent Rick Woodford resigned Monday. 

The board of trustees accepted Woodford’s resignation during their regular meeting Monday night and after a 98 minute executive session appointed Nancy Cerroni as interim superintendent and William Hiser as Special Education Director.

In an all-staff email sent out to the district on Jan. 9, Woodford told district staff that his resignation will be effective March 9 and that he has accepted an offer to be the superintendent in the Uintah School District in Vernal, Utah.

“Jennifer (Woodford’s wife) and I feel the need to be closer to our parents who live in St. George and Logan,” Woodford wrote to staff. 

In the same email, Woodford told staff that he would begin splitting time between Lovell and Vernal starting Feb. 12, but while his resignation would be effective in March, he would serve an advisory role for the district until the end of June. 

“I will be introduced to the community in Vernal on February 12th and then I will be splitting time between Lovell and Vernal until March 9th. After March 9th, I will be working full-time in Vernal,” Woodford wrote. “I will continue working remotely with the administration and Board in Lovell to facilitate a smooth transition. Furthermore, I have agreed to visit Lovell as needed and to work remotely with the administration until June 30th.”

Woodford told the Lovell Chronicle that while jobs for educators usually open up after July 1, the superintendent position for Vernal is currently open, requiring him to depart mid-school-year in order to take advantage of the opportunity. Woodford said he was able to work out a transitional agreement with the board, he said, in regard to his departure. 

Woodford told the Chronicle he will be present for the March and April district board meetings and is actively working to complete several priorities in order to make his transition easier. 

“I have a list of some priorities that I’ve already identified with the board and the administrator team. My objective is to get through that list as much as I can. I think I’ll be able to do that,” Woodford said. “There are some things that will just carry on after. I think we have a pretty good plan in place.”

Woodford said one of those priorities was completed Monday night, with the Lovell School Board approving new teacher evaluation standards for the district. Another of those priorities, organizing a public election to secure a bond to renovate the  Lovell pool, is still very much in progress. 

Woodford said he is confident that Cerroni will be a fully capable interim superintendent while the hiring process for his replacement is being conducted. 

“She is a collaborative leader, she has a lot of faith in our staff here in Lovell,” Woodford said. “I really don’t think anybody cares more about Big Horn County School District No. 2.”

Cerroni has been a member of the district for over 30 years, starting as the Title 1 paraprofessional, then taking on the roles of computer lab director and then second grade teacher before taking on an administrative role overseeing the district’s gifted and talented program. She then took the position of standards and assessment coordinator before taking on her current position as curriculum director. 

“(Being appointed interim superintendent) is an honor,” Cerroni said. “But I don’t consider it rising in the ranks. Every job has importance and value. It’s just a different role.”

Cerroni said she and Woodford have always had a strong working relationship and that she will work with him, along with the district’s administration team and the board, to transition the district to a new superintendent. 

“The key point I want to stress is we do have a strong system and a strong admin team,” Cerroni said. “It’s a team effort. That’s the way I’m approaching it. I will work together as a team member.”

Board chairman Bruce Jolley said Cerroni was a natural choice for the interim position. 

“When we went through the process of selecting an interim superintendent, our end goal was to get someone in there that would create the least amount of ripple effect,” Jolley said. “The goal is for the students in the classroom to not be able to see a difference. We don’t want to affect the education that is going on. We truly believe she would cause the least amount of ripple effect for education in the classroom.”

Cerroni said she is not interested in applying for the full-time superintendent position. 

The hiring process

According to Jolley, the hiring process will begin in haste with an advertisement for the position prepared to be published Jan. 20 by the Wyoming School Board Association. 

The district will be accepting applications the last two weeks of January and the first two weeks of February, and will narrow the applications down to their final three to five candidates in March. 

“We’re going to use the exact same procedure we used for Doctor Woodford. We’re going to narrow the applications down according to a profile we’ve created and I’ll personally check references,” Jolley said. “We’ll get it narrowed down to the top candidates and the community will get a chance to talk with them and ask questions. They will also talk to staff and interview with the board.”

Jolley said the profile is looking for a superintendent who will be collaborative and passionate about education.

“We want somebody that has a deep educational mind,” Jolley said. “We want that educational aspect. We definitely want a team player that fits into the admin team. We need him or her to be transparent and have honesty and most importantly a love for kids.”

Jolley said he is confident the transition will go smoothly for the district.

“I think we have a good game place,” Jolley said. “While we’re very sad to lose Doctor Woodford, we also can be excited about change. Everybody brings a new strength.” 

By Ryan Fitzmaurice