March 12, 2020
Bluestone steps down
New Town Superintendent to retire in December
By Jerry W. Kram
After a 31 year career in education, the last 14 years as the superintendent of the New Town School District, Mark Bluestone will be retiring on December 31.
Bluestone said he considered stepping down in June, but decided he should wait and help the next superintendent with the intricacies of running a school district that has multiple nontypical funding sources.
“By working until December 31, the district can hire an assistant superintendent,” Bluestone said. “He or she would take over Janaury 1. I think that’s good to see all the complexities of this position. We would not only be working with the state, but also with the Three Affiliated Tribes, our impact aid funding, US flood money – those sorts of things. We also have a number of teachers from outside the country and there is a massive amount of paper required to be working with them.”
Bluestone began his career teaching English and native languages in the elementary school and was the elementary school vice principal before becoming superintendent. He taught two years in Grand Forks before returning to New Town in 1989.
Bluestone said he considered stepping down in June, but decided he should wait and help the next superintendent with the intricacies of running a school district that has multiple nontypical funding sources.
“By working until December 31, the district can hire an assistant superintendent,” Bluestone said. “He or she would take over Janaury 1. I think that’s good to see all the complexities of this position. We would not only be working with the state, but also with the Three Affiliated Tribes, our impact aid funding, US flood money – those sorts of things. We also have a number of teachers from outside the country and there is a massive amount of paper required to be working with them.”
Bluestone began his career teaching English and native languages in the elementary school and was the elementary school vice principal before becoming superintendent. He taught two years in Grand Forks before returning to New Town in 1989.
