Sandy Gessner-Crabtree

The Port Townsend School Board voted unanimously at their regular meeting Feb. 20 to offer the role of superintendent for the 2020-21 school year to Sandy Gessner-Crabtree.

Gessner-Crabtree has served for the last two years as an assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and special education.

This comes after current Superintendent Dr. John Polm announced last month he will leave the district in June to take the superintendent position at the Puyallup School District.

Gessner-Crabtree’s appointment is designed to help the district maintain leadership next year while the district considers options to fill the position permanently.

Gessner-Crabtree has 32 years of experience in education, according to a press release.

Before serving as an assistant superintendent, she had been in the classroom at all levels of elementary education. She also served as the instructional coach in the Bremerton School District, the principal of View Ridge Elementary School in Bremerton and as the executive director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment at Olympic Educational Service District 114.

“In Sandy Gessner we have the benefit of a strong instructional leader who understands the district’s work and cares deeply about our staff and students,” School Board President Jennifer James-Wilson said. “We feel very fortunate that she is willing to step into the role for the next year and provide a continuum of leadership. I am confident she is the right person to carry on the high level of work being done in the district during this transitional year.”