The Bainbridge Island School District has a new financial director, the district announced in a news release March 7.

The position will be filled by Kim Knight, a finance administrator from the Dieringer School District in Pierce County.

BISD acting superintendent Amii Thompson says in a statement. “She has a way of taking complicated scenarios and explaining them in easy-to-understand ways. This will be a tremendous asset when communicating the many nuances of school funding.”

BISD began searching for a director in early February when Kelly Pearson suddenly vacated the position.

Knight has about 10 years of experience in school administrative roles. According to her LinkedIn profile, she has worked in the Renton, Eatonville and Dieringer districts. In 2021, Knight won a scholarship for rising leaders from the Association of School Business Officials International.

Knight explained her financial philosophy in an interview for Field Trip, a podcast. “It’s really easy to fall into the trap as a business manager that it’s your job just to watch over the expenses and watch the bottom line. I quickly found out that’s not true,” Knight said. “I’m really in a position of trying to make sure that there is funding available for our priorities. You have to use the analytics to make sure you’re getting the most out of the funding you receive so that your kids are getting the maximum benefit possible.”

Knight will begin her new role in late March. She will oversee business services, human resources and payroll.