A nearly three-month search process has been concluded — which featured interviews with about 30 qualified candidates — and Dr. Fred Rundle was named the next Mercer Island School District (MISD) superintendent on March 22.

The MISD Board of Directors unanimously selected Rundle during its latest meeting and he will step into his new role on July 1, according to an online letter to the school community. He was one of the final three candidates in a comprehensive national search to succeed Donna Colosky, who has served as the district superintendent for the last four years and will retire on July 30.

Rundle has served as the deputy superintendent for the MISD since 2021 and was previously the district’s assistant superintendent, director of learning services and principal of Lakeridge and West Mercer elementary schools.

“I’m humbled by the decision of the board and thrilled to continue leading the district and serving the students, staff, families, and greater community,” said Rundle. “The many relationships and partnerships with the people inside and outside of the school district have kept me here for 13 years and were a significant part of my decision to pursue this opportunity. While I have many people to thank, I want to extend my appreciation to former Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano and current Superintendent Donna Colosky for their guidance and support.”

With students always as the priority, Rundle is eager to continue moving the district forward in collaboration with its school board members, leadership team, the nearly 500 staff members and the parent community.

Rundle and other finalists Erin Murphy and Jana Parker — who advanced from a pool of seven semifinalists — visited the school district on March 21 for final interviews with the board and to answer questions submitted by students, parents, district employees and others during a community forum.

While the board met on March 22 to review community feedback and make a final hiring decision, Rundle was notified by phone and accepted the position, pending final contract negotiations, according to the letter.

“I’ve always just been passionate about teaching and about students and working collaboratively with community partners and parents,” said Rundle, 44, who began his career as an elementary school teacher in California and Colorado.

Rundle — who served as acting superintendent in the spring of 2021 during an extended leave by Colosky — said his moral and professional imperative has always been aimed at creating positive change in the community he lives in through public education. Mercer Island is a proud community that is deeply committed to its schools and education, he added. From the district staff to the PTAs to the schools foundation, he said that everyone plays a vital role in what has been achieved thus far — including levy support — and what they’ll accomplish in the future.

In his superintendent role he plans to continue engaging with students and give them a voice as they traverse the road to achieving their dreams; continue strengthening and building relationships on and off the campuses; continue to focus on the district’s funding and financial stability; try to rebuild enrollment; and balance academic excellence with helping students become great people.

Rundle’s parents amassed a total of 65 years of combined experience as elementary teachers, but he didn’t want to follow in their footsteps in the school realm. That would change when he got older.

“As I started to get into college, I kept being drawn back to kids, and I really wanted to work with students and be a part of a profession that was really all about service and impact. At the end, it was really a calling. In some ways it chose me as much as I chose public education,” said Rundle, whose older brother has carved out a career in public education as well.

“It is just absolutely the best work for someone who loves kids and loves community. I can’t think of a better profession,” he said.

Colosky is excited to have Rundle lead the district.

“Fred as the next MISD superintendent will carry forward the great work we have been doing in support of the whole child,” said Colosky, who has amassed 36 years working in public education. “He will bring together the MISD community as we move forward out of this pandemic and focus on continuing our work with students as the priority.” Rundle said that currently they’ve had minimal COVID-19 impacts to the schools.

The district hired Tradition Search Partners’ Lydia Musher to lead the search process, during which she received robust community input to help solidify a job description. The job announcement listed that the ideal candidate should be a systems builder who focuses on creating consistently excellent delivery, have experience managing innovatively within a strategic budget, demonstrate an apolitical commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and more.

“In hiring Dr. Rundle, the board listened to the input of the community. Dr. Rundle has earned very strong support among his MISD colleagues in particular. I look forward to hearing great news of his work as he makes the position his own,” Musher said. “It’s been an honor to work with an extraordinary district.”

School board President Maggie Tai Tucker explained the school district’s situation at the present time and why the board chose Rundle to become the next superintendent:

“With enrollment down right now, the need to ‘right-size’ the budget, and a lot of other changes and challenges over the last two years, it’s a sensitive time for the district. We heard a lot about the changes in highly capable services during the interviews; that’s clearly an unresolved concern in the parent community,” said Tucker, adding that the district needs a superintendent who can keep things running smoothly while maintaining rigorous and challenging academic standards, promoting students’ and staff’s social and emotional well being and uniting the community to move in a forward direction.

“In Dr. Rundle, we believe we will have a superintendent who can accomplish all of these things. We’re thrilled he has accepted the job and look forward to seeing what he can do in his new role. We expect to emerge from this period stronger and better with Fred at the helm,” she said.