South Whidbey’s top administrator is facing a pretty full plate in the coming weeks as she’ll be filling in as the Langley Middle School principal until an interim replacement is selected.
Superintendent Jo Moccia has assumed the duties of Suzi Mach, who was placed on paid administrative leave Oct. 1. 
Despite the increased workload of doing two full-time jobs, Moccia said she will not be getting additional compensation.
“The district can’t afford additional pay,” Moccia said.
Mach cited family hardships as the chief reason for her leaving in her resignation letter. The separation from her family, who reside in Silverdale, led to her resignation.
Mach’s leave is paid, though her salary is unclear. Moccia requested that the information be provided through a records request, and The Record’s request was not fulfilled by press time.
Also, details of Mach’s leave and how the issue will be resolved could not be disclosed, said Moccia, as it is an “on-going personnel issue.”
Mach, a 1989 graduate of Oak Harbor High School, started her position on July 1. She came to the middle school with six years of administrative experience in the Bremerton School District and most recently held the position of vice principal of West Hills STEM Academy.
Moccia said she will split her duties as chief of schools and principal until an interim principal is found, which she hopes will be by Thanksgiving or before.
The district will search for a permanent replacement in the spring who would begin July 1.
Moccia said she was provided a list of potential interim principals by a principal-hiring organization and that she is in the process of contacting candidates.
“Most of them live out of the area so it’s kinda hard to find someone willing to come to Whidbey,” Moccia said. “We’ll get there. We’ll advertise if we have to. We may figure out a way to do it in-house.”
Interim principals are typically retirees, Moccia said.
As for her role at the middle school, Moccia said she’s on campus at arrival and stays until dismissal and will handle normal duties of the position such as dealing with disciplinary issues.
“The real issue is how much can a person get done in 24 hours?” Moccia said. “I’m doing the day-to-day work. I’m managing right now, but we want to be able to move forward. It takes more person-power than one person can provide. The team here is outstanding and everybody is doing a little extra to make it work.”
“I appreciate everyone’s support during this time of transition,” she said. “People have been incredibly supportive of me doing two roles and that includes the community. It’s unfortunate, but we’ll move forward.”
