Robbinsdale Area Schools Approve Separation Agreement with Superintendent
The Robbinsdale School Board approved a separation agreement with Superintendent David Engstrom on Monday, Sept. 18, leaving the district without a permanent leader.
“I’m really happy to be able to say that we had a mutually agreeable decision,” said Helen Bassett, chair of the Robbinsdale School Board. “He decided to resign and the board accepted his resignation, so I think when both parties agree that’s a good thing.”
Engstrom’s resignation and the separation agreement are effective immediately. He’s been the superintendent at Robbinsdale Area Schools since July 2021.
Before leading the Robbinsdale district, Engstrom was deputy superintendent of achievement, learning and leadership at a district in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The board unanimously approved the separation agreement.
Engstrom has been away from the district on medical leave for several weeks.
Speaking in an early September work session, district officials said they had been in contact with several applicants for the role of interim superintendent.
The Robbinsdale School Board approved a separation agreement with Superintendent David Engstrom on Monday, Sept. 18, leaving the district without a permanent leader. Engstrom is pictured here in CCX Studios in 2022.
‘The Door is Always Open’
Assistant Superintendent Marti Voight has been acting as the district’s top administrator while Engstrom has been on leave.
“I am more than willing to do the duties and do what this board requests,” Voight said. “I will support what this district needs until you find a superintendent, or if you wish to do an interim and have that gap, you just have to come to me and let me know.”
Voight told the board on Monday that she was willing to serve as interim superintendent, but that she will likely retire by June 2024.
“I’m here to support you,” she said. “The door is open.”
Bassett said she was “excited” to hear that Voight was willing to continue acting as superintendent.
“That’s wonderful to have someone who has been with the organization for a long time, kind of knows what’s going on, to be willing to step in like that,” she said.
Other board members also expressed relief hearing that Voight was willing to fill in.
“We can kind of really bring it all together because we have someone here competent doing the job until next June,” said Robbinsdale School Board Member Sharon Brooks.
School Board Moving on From Engstrom
Some board members said they feel an urgency to move forward.
Robbinsdale School Board Member John Vento noted that other school districts in the metro have announced searches for new superintendents.
The board will need to determine if they want to use a search firm to find a new superintendent, or if they want to conduct the search themselves.
“I imagine that in this day and age, it’s important to have a firm who’s experienced in doing that work to support us because of course we want to do our best job for the community,” Bassett said.
They’ll also need to determine a likely start date for a new superintendent.
Bassett said she’s “optimistic” about the superintendent search.
“By [the] end of [the] week we’ll kind of begin to think about our strategy more clearly and following that, we hope to talk with all of our colleagues and kind of get a clear direction, and we want to move from there,” Bassett said. “So our focus is forward.”
See also: Newsmakers: Superintendent Engstrom Talks Need for New Strategic Plan
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