The Vashon Island School Board will soon decide whether to extend acting Superintendent Terry Lindquist’s contract for an additional year, keeping him at the helm of the 1,500-student district until August 2009. Based on what we’ve seen of his work and what we’ve heard from others, we think this should be one of the school board’s easiest decisions of the year.

Indeed, we’re lucky the question’s even on the table.

Lindquist came on during one of the rockiest times in recent history at the Vashon Island School District — stepping in as the interim superintendent shortly after Mimi Walker was forced to go on administrative leave and just as the full extent of the district’s budget woes were coming to light.

It was a tense time — in part because Walker, not surprisingly, had her defenders. Teachers were angry at the school board; community members were confused; morale was low.

Enter Lindquist, seasoned, level-headed, gracious, well-spoken. A kind of balm, at a time when the district was hurting.

Since his arrival last April, he’s demonstrated over and over again qualities the district sorely needed during these last few months, a stretch that for some has become a time of healing: He’s professional; a straight-shooter; a good listener; community-minded. He also has a wealth of experience, starting from his days as an English and social studies teacher in a small town in Montana to his years at the helm of one of the state’s Education Service Districts, where he oversaw 38 percent of the state’s public school students. In between, he was a counselor, a coach, a vice principal, a superintendent.

And as if that weren’t enough, this 70-something-year-old man who came out of semi-retirement to take on the task of righting the district’s ship is also active in a range of public service efforts. He’s on the board of the Fremont Public Association, a social justice organization that just changed its name to Solid Ground; is on the board of KCTS Public Television; and is an active volunteer at Saint Mary’s Food Bank near his home in Seattle.

Lindquist has already made a difference. According to those close to the situation, he’s helping the district get back on its feet financially; he’s begun to build an infrastructure of current policies, replacing ones that were outdated and even antiquated; he’s put together task forces that meaningfully engage community members.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Lindquist is not using this interim position as a stepping stone to a bigger district or better job. His service at the Vashon Island School District — and service truly is what it is — will likely mark the culmination of his career, a final entry on a long and impressive resumé.

Apparently, Terry Lindquist would like to stay another year. That we should be so lucky. Let’s keep him.