Mathew Combe will be the new superintendent as soon as he is approved by the Morrow County School Board. His first official day will be July 1.

The district office announced the decision to hire Combe in a Friday, March 18, press release.

“After an exhaustive search, the Morrow County School District Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Mr. Mathew Combe will become the district’s next superintendent,” the press release states.

This announcement came as good news to the current superintendent, Dirk Dirksen.

“Mat Combe has been a long time Morrow County administrator,” Dirksen said. “He’ll do a real good job.”

The press release also mentions that Combe was among 13 applicants for the position.

The only local candidate among three finalists, he was praised by Becky Kindle, Morrow County School District Board chair. Kindle said Combe, and the other two candidates, would “do a good job” if they were to be chosen.

In the past week, Combe and other finalists “spent time in the district meeting with staff, community members and high school students from each of the three high schools,” according to the press release that announced the decision to hire him. Also, the release states that board members “conducted extensive reference checks and final interviews before offering Combe the position.”

Following this decision, the Morrow County School District is negotiating with Combe over his new contract. It will then approve the contract at the April 11 board meeting.

Combe, currently the Heppner Junior/Senior High School principal serves the school district as the director of maintenance and facilities. The district hired him in January 2005. In more recent years, he has served as elementary school principal and the director of alternative education.

Dirksen said that the selection of Combe will “help in the transition,” as Combe is someone who knows the district well. Also, people know Combe, Dirksen said, and other people within the district will find it easy to work with him.

The step from principal to superintendent is something of which Dirksen is familiar. He said he has already spoken with the incoming superintendent about what this promotion will entail.

“I was the building principal at Riverside (Junior/Senior High School) before I started the job 11 years ago, and I went over some of the things that I did to prepare myself,” Dirksen said. Now, he added, he is working together with Combe to ready him to be superintendent.

One of the big things ahead, Dirksen said, is a school bond, which will be on the May 17 ballot. The first of the county’s school bonds in over two decades, it would give an upgrade to the district’s schools. If passed, it would raise $138 million, to be supplemented with another $4 million from the Oregon School Capital Improvement Matching Program.

“Combe has been actively involved in the entire bond process and looks forward to utilizing his knowledge as the district moves forward with hopes of passing their bond,” the press release states.

As important as this bond is, though, Dirksen said it is not the only concern for Combe, who will need to “build background” on the position.

He will need to learn more about the ins and outs of the superintendent’s job, Dirksen said.

“There is a difference between being a building administrator on a day-to-day basis and being a superintendent,” Dirksen said. “I know that was a very important thing for me to learn.”

Dirksen’s last day in the position is June 30, Dirksen said.