The Coquille School District appears to be holding onto its superintendent after all.

Less than two weeks ago, Superintendent Phil Waber asked the School Board to release him from the final two years of his contract, which ends at the conclusion of the 2004-05 school year. He wanted June 30 of this year to be his last day. At the time, Waber said he felt like he had met his goals but he was having difficulties communicating with the board about revenue ideas and budget issues.

After an almost three-hour special board meeting earlier this week, Waber withdrew the contract request. The district's School Board passed a resolution supporting Waber and pledged to work on communication with its superintendent.

The approved resolution stated, "The Coquille School District No. 8 Board of Directors publicly states appreciation for the services and commitment of Superintendent Phil Waber and publicly states its support of Superintendent Phil Waber in his continued leadership of the district."

The School Board also directed Waber to research options for future training, evaluation and counseling for the board and for the board/superintendent relationship.

On Thursday, Waber said he felt the executive sessions were positive.

"That means I'm staying," Waber said. "The board realizes we need to do some work to better understand everyone's roles and how to conduct district business."

Board Chairman Dan Hermann said the School Board members are unanimous in support of Waber. He added the problems that arose stemmed from personality conflicts.

"We have a very diverse board and it became quite obvious that different personalities were getting in the way of our job," he said. "(Phil) Waber was hired to run the district. I believe he's done a wonderful job. (The board) was elected to oversee the district and be its policymakers. Somewhere along the line that changed."

Hermann added that he feels the board is back on track and doing what it needs to do, which is provide Coquille students with a quality education.

"We commend Waber for his willingness to work with us and help see us through some difficult times," he said.

- Staff Writer Patti Richter covers education issues for The World. She can be reached at 269-1222, ext. 271, or by e-mail at prichter@pulitzer.net.