"Enough is enough." Those are the words of Caryn Gibson, a 22-year employee of Delta County School District 50J who was appointed interim school superintendent last week.

"For one year, I get to make a difference," she said. Job one is reuniting a school district that's been in turmoil since the beginning of the year.

At a special meeting last Friday, acting board president Tammy Smith first announced Tom Mingen's resignation from the board of education, then asked for a motion concerning the interim superintendent. Cheryl Hines quickly spoke up, saying she's excited to get the focus back on kids and their education "where it needs to be."

Gibson was offered the position after a special school board meeting Monday, May 21, and she spent the week drawing up a three-point plan to review with the school board in an executive session Friday morning. Before accepting the job offer, Gibson said she wanted to know the school board members were on board with her plan and would be able to trust her decisions.

Her three-pronged approach includes:

1) building and establishing trust between herself and the board, which in turn will trickle down to staff members and the community.

2) developing a vision and goals which will put the focus on students. After establishing priorities, a longterm financial plan will be developed so the budget supports the school district's goals, instead of the other way around.

3) leeway to build a productive and positive leadership team.

Gibson plans to hire two assistant superintendents, one who will focus on K-8 and the other whose specialty will be high schools and the technical college. Other specific duties (transportation, public relations, Vision liaison, etc.) will be assigned based on the experience and qualifications of the successful candidates.

The process of soliciting assistant superintendent applications has already taken place but Gibson says she plans to create a small window for potential candidates to reconsider. Several of those candidates had withdrawn their applications because of the uncertainty at the district office. "It got a little crazy there," Gibson said. "They deserve that chance."

She will seek school board approval before job offers are made, but said the school board has already promised to support her recommendations.

Gibson is currently the personnel director for Delta County Joint School District but was slated to resume directorship of Delta-Montrose Technical College. An interim director will hold her spot at DMTC for the 2012-13 school year.

Gibson is a graduate of Olathe High School and earned her bachelor's degree in business administration from Western State College. She earned a master's degree in education (vocational business) from Colorado State University and a graduate degree in principal licensure/leadership from CU Colorado Springs.

She worked at Fruita-Monument High School for four years before joining the staff at Delta High School as a business teacher in 1990. She has served as assistant principal at DMS and DHS, financial aid director and director of the technical college, and school district director of human resources.

About a dozen people attended the early morning school board meeting and several expressed pleasure with the outcome.

Gibson will earn $105,000 for the coming year, but said the money is not the motivating factor. "I'm in it for bringing the district back together," she said. "I want to give people some security."

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