South Whidbey School Board Unanimously Extends Superintendent Clifford's Contract Through 2029

Becky Clifford arrived in Langley last July with 20 years in education and a first-year document she called an Entry Plan, built around student performance and organizational priorities. On Wednesday, the South Whidbey School District board of directors responded with a unanimous vote: her contract is extended through at least 2029.

Her annual salary holds at $210,500 under the contract's addendum, unchanged from when she stepped into the role from her previous position as assistant superintendent of the Anacortes School District. For families in Langley, Freeland, and across South Whidbey Island, her extension resets the planning horizon for everything from staffing levels to curriculum decisions.

She laid out what she intends to deliver over that span. "Over the next three years, our focus will be on strengthening student outcomes and programs, updating our strategic plan and ensuring South Whidbey remains a place where every student belongs and thrives," Clifford said.

Among the milestones she flagged with particular enthusiasm: the completion of the district's $79.8 million bond construction project, approved in 2023 to renovate building interiors and exteriors, modernize HVAC systems, improve ADA accessibility, add covered outdoor learning structures, and upgrade the stadium and athletic fields. The work was projected to wrap by 2026, putting Clifford in the position of leading students into renovated facilities rather than inheriting a construction timeline someone else set.

The board's unanimous approval is an early endorsement of the approach she brought from Anacortes. Clifford has described her leadership philosophy as systems-level thinking, meaning she evaluates how decisions in one area of a school, whether curriculum, staffing, or facilities, ripple across all others. That framework shaped her principal search at South Whidbey Elementary earlier this month, when she named that kind of integrated thinking as a defining criterion for candidates.

For a rural island district, leadership continuity carries practical weight. Staffing pipelines, multi-year budget commitments, and curriculum rollouts all require a superintendent present long enough to see them through. With Clifford's extension confirmed, the district's stated goals around student outcomes and a refreshed strategic plan now have a three-year runway and a named administrator accountable for the results.