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Members of the Centralia City School Board had kind words for retiring superintendent Craig Clark attending his last school board meeting on Tuesday. Clark has been with the district for eleven years. Board members credited Clark with placing students first and bringing needed change to the direction of the school board and the district. Board member Greg Dodson said that hiring Clark was the best decision the board has ever made.

Clark says that credit for positive changes during his time as superintendent goes to the people he has worked with who prioritize the wellbeing of students.

“We have a special group of people that work here who are kid-centered, and they truly care about the kids in the district,” Clark said. “A lot of them go out of their way and do things you’ll never see for the benefit of our kids and our families. I think that when the focus is on the kids and what their needs are, and we have people who are unselfish to meet them, that speaks highly of this district. I’m just glad to be a part of it.”

Christina Becker will begin as superintendent in July. Becker has been preparing for the role for the past two years as assistant superintendent.

“I have been very fortunate to be able to work here in the office alongside Mr. Clark,” Becker said. “He’s been gracious enough to include me in a lot of things that I might not normally have been able to experience. I’m very grateful that I’ve been able to be here and have this mentorship and guidance so that I was as prepared as I could be.”

Becker says that one of the district’s priorities going forward will be retaining and finding quality teachers at a time when those teachers are hard for schools to find.

The district’s retirees were recognized and presented with clocks honoring their years of service. This year’s retirees include:

  • Sheri Thomason, Fifth grade teacher, 16 years
  • Ryan White, Fifth Grade Teacher, 19 years
  • Jack Zvonar, Sixth Grade P.E. Teacher, 20 years
  • Lisa Wysocki, Jordan Special Ed Teacher, 7 years
  • Jo An Glenn, CJHS Paraprofessional, 10 years
  • Beverly Braun, Central Cook, 13 years
  • Donna Wooters, Bus Monitor, 2 years

In the end-of-year superintendent’s report, Clark presented the district’s enrollment numbers and disciplinary data for the 2024-25 school year. Total enrollment increased by 6 from the previous year to 1036 students in the district. Out of school suspension days decreased by 103, from 357 days the previous year to 254 days this year. The number of students suspended decreased by 28 from 121 to 93. Clark says that while the decrease in suspensions is a good thing, the numbers are still high relative to the state and the district will continue looking for ways to improve student behavior.

In personnel items, the board hired Michelle Stedelin-Rommelman as Schiller Special Education Teacher and accepted the resignation of Jill Barger as special ed coordinator, Samantha White as life skills teacher, Shelby Goodson as Schiller paraprofessional, and Sandra Simmons as speech pathologist.

Retiring 5th grade teacher Sheri Thomason. Photo by Austin Williams.

Retiring Jordan special education teacher Lisa Wysocki. Photo by Austin Williams.

Retiring CJHS Paraprofessional Jo Ann Glenn. Photo by Austin Williams.

Retiring Central cook Beverly Braun. Photo by Austin Williams.

Retiring bus monitor Donna Wooters. Photo by Austin Williams.