There’s been a changing of the guard at the Bolinas-Stinson School, where a new interim principal and a new interim superintendent are preparing for the start of classes next week. The new hires come after the departure of principal Michelle Stephens, who stepped in to fill both roles last year after then-superintendent John Carroll left to run the Marin County Office of Education.
Ilie Watterson, who has taught at the school for four years and served as interim assistant principal last year, will serve as interim principal. Leo Kostelnik, who has previously served as a teacher and principal at the school, will return as interim superintendent.
Ms. Stephens was the principal for five years before departing earlier this summer. From January through June, she divided her time between the principal and superintendent roles.
“Because we were in a pinch, we filled the needs of the district by giving that interim position to Michelle,” said Nate Siedman, the school board chairman. “But that was always an interim position and not a long-term plan for the school.”
Mr. Siedman declined to say whether Ms. Stephens had applied for either interim position, saying it was a confidential personnel matter. “Michelle and the district mutually parted,” he said.
Ms. Stephens and Mr. Siedman informed parents of her departure in a joint announcement in late June. “We are grateful that for five years Michelle and the district were able to work together to provide the best possible educational experience for our students,” the statement read. “Michelle wishes the Bolinas-Stinson School a bright future.”
Ms. Stephens, who could not be reached for comment, gave no hint that she was leaving in a June 9 message to the school community—the last one she wrote. “I wish you and your family a wonderful summer filled with love and laughter,” she wrote at the time.
The interim positions were filled without conducting an open search because the district had to expedite the process, Mr. Siedman said. The board plans to conduct a full search for permanent employees next spring.
Mr. Siedman said the district had experimented years ago with the hybrid superintendent-principal arrangement but decided the school functions better with a full-time principal.
Mr. Carroll had served as a half-time superintendent, filling a similar half-time role with the Lagunitas School District.
With just 118 students and two locations, the Bolinas-Stinson Unified School District is one of the best-funded in the state. The lower school in Stinson Beach serves students from preschool through first grade, while the Bolinas School serves students from grades two through eight.
The mother of four school-aged children, Ms. Watterson lives in Inverness and graduated from Tomales High. She said she is thrilled about her new role.
“I really think that the school is thriving,” she said. “We have a robust program and teachers who are really eager and happy to do their jobs and do them well. And we’re able to individualize instruction because we have small class sizes and a lot of staff support.”
Ms. Watterson has been an educator for more than 25 years, starting her career teaching preschool and coming to the Bolinas-Stinson district four years ago as a middle school math and science teacher. She led the school’s Covid-19 response and transition back to in-person learning during the pandemic. Two years ago, she completed an administrative credential, and last year, after Mr. Carroll was elected to the county position, she split her time between teaching and serving as assistant principal.
The district unanimously approved her contract at its June 20 meeting.
“Ilie has really proved herself as a teacher and a leader,” Mr. Siedman said. “She’s done a wonderful job across the board.”
Mr. Kostelnik worked at the district for 11 years as a teacher and principal. After leaving in 2012, he served as an administrator in the Larskpur-Corte Madera and Mill Valley School Districts. His three children attended the Bolinas-Stinson School from kindergarten through eighth grade.
“I think the school is really going to benefit from having a candidate as experienced as Leo,” Mr. Siedman said. “He’s a candidate who otherwise might not have applied for the job if he wasn’t living in town. We’re really benefiting from that.”
The district has also announced the appointment of a new chief business officer, T.J. Hurley, the former assistant superintendent of business in Redding schools. Kirsten Starsiak, the outgoing CBO, has taken a new job with the Marin County Office of Education.