9:22 p.m. update
WORTHINGTON -- Current Prairie Elementary Assistant Principal Josh Noble will replace outgoing principal Paul Besel, the District 518 Board of Education decided during a special meeting Thursday.
Board members also accepted Besel's resignation; his duties in the district will end Wednesday. He has accepted a position as K-12 principal for the Grand Meadow Public School District in southeastern Minnesota.
"It's gone very quickly," Besel said of his three years in the district.
The board unanimously voted to hire Noble, who has worked in the district for 11 years, as the school's new principal.
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"He's done a very nice job," said Superintendent John Landgaard in recommending him for the position. "He'll still have a learning curve to accomplish but it's nothing he can't learn quickly."
"As an experienced administrator, Mr. Noble is by far the best person I've ever worked with," Besel added. "He has been in charge of some fairly major initiatives ... and is well-respected by staff. If that's the direction the board goes, I don't think you're going to have any regrets."
Landgaard said the board's other option was to advertise for the position, but with the beginning of the school year quickly approaching, he recommended hiring internally.
"I am extremely excited about this opportunity," Noble said. "My family and I are committed to this community and District 518."
Noble has served in his current role for two years. "I just think we have a lot of good things going on here at Prairie," he added.
Members also approved filling the assistant principal position Noble will leave vacant, after briefly discussing whether the salary offered for that position was adequate.
"When we were looking at applications for an assistant principal at the high school, we had some withdraw after they were contacted," said board member Linden Olson. "Is it possible we're not offering a pay scale to bring in the quality of candidates we're looking for?"
Landgaard called the pay scale "pretty competitive," saying it ranges from $72,000 to $80,000 per year.
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Olson noted the candidates did not specifically cite pay as their reason for withdrawing their applications. "I don't know for sure if it's the case or not," he admitted.
WORTHINGTON -- Current Prairie Elementary Assistant Principal Josh Noble will replace outgoing principal Paul Besel, the District 518 school board decided during a special meeting Thursday.
Board members also accepted Besel's resignation; his duties in the district will end Wednesday. He has accepted a position as K-12 principal for the Grand Meadow Public School District in southeastern Minnesota.
"It's gone very quickly," Besel said of his three years in the district.
The board unanimously voted to hire Noble, who has worked in the district for 11 years, as the school's new principal.
For more information, read tomorrow's Daily Globe.
