Mat-Su schools superintendent resigns

The Matanuska-Susitna School Board unanimously voted Monday night to accept the resignation of the school district's superintendent, Gene Stone.

School Board members held a meeting behind closed doors for two hours before taking a vote on Stone's resignation.

The resignation will go into effect on April 3, said School Board president Dr. Donna Dearman. Stone chose to resign for personal reasons, Dearman said in a statement after the meeting.

Dr. Monica Goyette will replace Stone, she said.

Goyette has worked with the Mat-Su school district for 18 years, serving as a counselor, teacher and school administrator. For the past four years, she has been the district's executive director of instruction.

The School Board voted unanimously to appoint Goyette as an immediate, interim superintendent and praised her in comments following the vote.

School Board member Ray Michaelson said he had confidence Goyette would be able to "hit the ground running" to address ongoing issues like the school district's budget crunch. The district faces an $11 million deficit for 2018.

The School Board appointed Stone as superintendent under a one-year contract in May, though Stone didn't move into the role until July 1. He had been working as the Mat-Su Borough School District's assistant superintendent of instruction.

Stone replaced the district's outgoing superintendent Deena Bishop, currently the superintendent of Anchorage schools. The School Board said during the transition that it was just starting a broader search for a permanent replacement.

The School Board extended Stone's contract at its Dec. 7 meeting, according to district spokeswoman Catherine Esary. Stone took a voluntary 4 percent pay cut, which was announced publicly at the board's Feb. 15 meeting, Esary said.

An emergency School Board meeting was called for Monday. A meeting agenda posted to the Mat-Su district's website listed a closed-door session with the action items "Superintendent's Contract" and "Appointment of Interim Superintendent." A resolution calling for the special meeting said board members had been informed of Stone's "pending immediate resignation."