The Snoqualmie Valley School Board of Directors has tapped Dan Schlotfeldt to be its next superintendent.

Schlotfeldt was appointed in a unanimous vote by the board at its meeting Thursday. He had been serving as interim superintendent since September.

“It is my sincere honor to serve our community in this role,” Schlotfeldt said in a letter to district families. “I look forward to serving and working with you all to support our shared mission.”

Schlotfeldt is a long tenured district employee, having served in various roles since beginning his career as a teacher at Fall City Elementary in 1994. He was promoted to assistant superintendent in 2020.

He grew up in Yakima County and received his undergraduate degree from Central Washington University, according to the district’s website.

“This is one of the most important jobs school boards have,” Boardmember Carolyn Simpson said of the superintendent appointment.

The board appointed Schlotfeldt after seeing results from a recent survey and holding meetings with stakeholders.

“[Dan] had significant support from partners, teachers and staff,” Simpson said.

Schlotfeldt’s appointment comes after the sudden departure of former superintendent Lance Gibbon.

Gibbon was placed on leave in September and, at the request of the school board, resigned from his position two months later. Gibbon had been with the district less than two years.

Boardmembers said their decision to part ways with Gibbon was due to his lack of focus on “teaching and learning.” That reasoning has since been criticized by some residents for lacking transparency.

At its meeting Thursday, Board President Melissa Johnson emphasized the decision to dismiss Gibbon was difficult, but noted it was in the best interest of students. She said boardmembers have said all they can about the decision.

“I get why some of our parents are disheartened about what looks like a lack of transparency and communication,” Johnson said. “[But] we need to heal and we need to move on.”

This story has been updated.