GREEN MOUNTAIN – During a special meeting of the Green Mountain-Garwin school board held on March 7, a pair of motions were approved allowing the district to both enter into a superintendent sharing agreement with Baxter Community School District beginning next school year while also hiring the the individual for the remainder of the current school year.

Chris Petersen – who was hired by Baxter earlier this year as the district’s next leader – will take the reins from GMG Interim Superintendent Gary Sinclair beginning next week, according to Sinclair who spoke with the Sun Courier on Tuesday.

“[GMG’s] board voted to have the [school] board presidents meet to work out a plan for sharing. [Petersen] will be the superintendent. I will be an advisor.”

Sinclair said the board’s rationale for hiring Petersen immediately boils down to the district’s need to “provide stability for the remainder of the year and into next year.”

Baxter is a small, rural school district with a PK-12 campus located in Jasper County roughly 35 miles southwest of Green Mountain and more than 40 miles from Garwin. The district’s current superintendent, Dr. Mickolyn Clapper, resigned (effective June 30, 2024) in December 2023.

Baxter currently has a certified enrollment of just under 339 students, while GMG’s certified enrollment hovers just under 247.

GMG has needed a new superintendent since former superintendent Kym Stein resigned in February after taking medical leave in December 2023.

According to settlement documents obtained by the newspaper, Stein will continue to be paid her salary through June 30, 2024, while also continuing to be covered by the district’s health insurance (as set out in her contract) through June 30, 2025, as long as she remains eligible.

This is a developing story.