Coupeville board approves three-year superintendent contract; one member abstains

The Coupeville School District board voted to approve a three-year contract for the superintendent covering 2026 through 2029. Committee member (speaker 7) moved the contract approval; the motion was seconded and the board approved the contract by voice vote, with one abstention.

A board member (speaker 2) announced before the vote that they would abstain because of a disclosed financial relationship: they rent a house from the superintendent and, after consulting counsel, chose to abstain rather than participate in approval. The chair recorded the abstention during the final vote.

Meeting minutes and the board’s discussion note the contract includes pay adjustments aligned with administrator and CEA pay changes; exact salary figures and contract language were not read into the record at the meeting but were included in the consent agenda materials the board received.

Action details
- Motion: Approve superintendent contract for 2026–2029 (mover: Committee member (speaker 7)).
- Second: Not specified on the record.
- Board discussion: Several members praised the superintendent’s work and noted goals in the evaluation process had been met.
- Abstention: One director (speaker 2) abstained, citing a rental arrangement with the superintendent.
- Outcome: Motion approved (board announced approval with one abstention).

What was said
Committee member who moved the motion thanked the superintendent for meeting board goals and overseeing system improvements. The abstaining board member explained the decision: “I have a financial contract with Shannon and her husband. They rent a house for me, and so I don't wanna be approving her contract since that might be considered a benefit to me,” they said, and then abstained.

What remains to be published
The meeting referenced the contract and pay changes but did not include full salary or contract-language details in the oral record; those specifics were available in board documents and the consent agenda distributed to board members. Any confidentiality provisions or executive-session negotiations, if applicable, were not discussed during the public motion.

Next steps
The board will finalize administrative actions related to the contract. Any follow-up reporting or release of contract terms is governed by district policy and state public-record rules.