Westfall poised to hire Fife as Superintendent

Westfall Schools’ Board of Education is poised to hire a familiar face as the next superintendent at a special meeting on Thursday.

BOE seeks to approve Westfall High School Principal Jason Fife to lead the Mustangs’ nation at 6:30 p.m. in the Westfall Community Room.

“Jason is a talented and respected administrator in our district,” BOE President Mark Ruff said. “He has served as our Middle School Principal and currently serves as our High School Principal.”

Fife was one of eight candidates that applied for the position.

“He is focused on students and the entire Westfall community,” Ruff said. “As a part of his responsibilities, he will be working with the Board of Education as we focus on our three pillars of emphasis — Safety, educating the whole child, also being good stewards of the gifts and goodwill of the community.”

Fife will assume the role on August 1 when Superintendent Jeff Sheets retires.

“Jeff has been at the helm of Westfall for five years,” Ruff said. “During that time period, he has led our school community with class and competence. He has instilled a renewed sense of pride in our district and has definitely made Westfall better. Jeff will forever be a Mustang! The Board of Education and the entire Westfall community wish to thank Jeff for all of his efforts and wish him well in the future.”

Fife will lead a top quality school system with more than 1,300 students, served by 200 employees and a budget of $17.3 million.

A new multi-use building that was built between the high school and middle school, where Fife also formerly served as principal, was completed last fall and was paid for by a voter-approved levy in November 2020.

The project cost $30 million. The 1.93 mil bond issue provided $15 million and the BOE borrowed the other $15 million, which will be paid over a period of time through the general fund.

The levy funding was used to renovate the existing middle and high school facilities and paid for the new building, which includes a cafeteria, new gym, media center, community meeting room, and pair of new science laboratories for both the High School and Middle School buildings.