Robert McDowell, assistant superintendent for Stillwater Area Public Schools, has been picked to be the new superintendent in Hastings.
At a special board meeting Thursday, the Hastings School Board voted to offer the job to McDowell. The other finalist was Sara Paul, assistant superintendent at White Bear Lake Area Public Schools since 2014.
“The consensus was that Dr. Robert McDowell has the qualifications and skills to move the school district forward,” Kelsey Waits, school board chair, said in a district-issued statement. “We feel he will come into the position with an open mind, ready to listen, and committed to finding the best fit for the district.”
Negotiations with McDowell will begin. A contract is expected to be approved by the school board at its April 8 meeting. His pending start date is July 1.
Tim Collins, former Hastings superintendent, left the district last year after six years on the job. In January, he was hired to be superintendent of St. Clair Public Schools, southeast of Mankato, Minn.
McDowell has been with Stillwater schools since 2015, when he was hired as executive director of learning and innovation. He’s became the district’s assistant superintendent last year.
He has been the principal at Sunrise Park Middle School in White Bear Lake and assistant principal of Valley Middle School in Apple Valley.