Coeur d’Alene School District Superintendent Steve Cook has accepted a position as superintendent of the Bend-La Pine School District in Bend, Ore.

The Bend-La Pine School Board voted Tuesday evening to hire Cook, who will remain in his position with Coeur d'Alene through June.

In an announcement after the decision was made, Bend-La Pine School Board Chair Carrie Douglass said that "among an exceptional pool of candidates from across our nation, Dr. Cook rose to the top."

"During this search process, which began more than a year ago, our community came together to identify four key competencies that they wanted to see in a next superintendent," Douglass stated. "Those values are what guided our rigorous selection process and we are thrilled to say Dr. Cook meets and exceeds all of the attributes we were looking for. He is the visionary leader, advocate for equity, community partner and capacity builder our community wants and needs."

Cook became Coeur d'Alene's superintendent almost three years ago. Before that, he was deputy superintendent of the Douglas County School District in suburban Denver.

“My focus remains on the students and employees of Coeur d’Alene Public Schools as we continue to implement significant improvements,” Cook said. “Over the past three years we have taken on a tremendous amount of important work, including our new Portrait of a Graduate. We’ve adopted a new strategic plan, committed to quality instructional practices, developed a deeper focus on equity in our schools, improved mental health supports and the social and emotional wellbeing of our students.

"We also built a long-range facilities plan, made enhancements to school safety, updated attendance zones, opened a new elementary school and launched our online eSchool for students in grades K-12," he continued. "I’m proud of what our staff, students and community have accomplished together, and I’m encouraged by the momentum along this path toward ever-growing successes for our students."

The Coeur d'Alene School Board will meet in the coming weeks to establish a process and timeline for selecting a new superintendent.

Board Chair Jennifer Brumley said the board thanks Cook for his vision and commitment to student achievement.

“Especially over these past 10 months, as the district has confronted unprecedented challenges to operate through a pandemic, we appreciate the leadership Dr. Cook has demonstrated,” Brumley said.

She added that Cook has maintained a positive and collaborative working relationship with board members throughout his time with the district.

“We wish Steve and his family all the best as he embarks on this new opportunity,” Brumley said.