NORWAY — The Norway Vulcan Area School District will have Bruce Tapio as interim superintendent as it prepares to resume its search for a permanent replacement for retiring Lou Steigerwald.

The school board earlier this year had selected Joe Tinti, the high school principal, to take over when Steigerwald stepped away June 30.

But Tinti recently accepted a job with the Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School District, leaving the superintendent position again open.

The board at special meetings Monday and Wednesday voted to hire Tapio starting this week through Aug. 22.

While currently working as woodshop instructor at Kingsford middle and high schools, Tapio was superintendent/high school principal at North Central Area Schools for four years before retiring in 2019. He started as an industrial arts teacher at North Central Junior/Senior High School in 2005.

By accepting the temporary position, Tapio said he gives the board more time to find someone they want to hire, adding Steigerwald could not remain but left the district “in great shape.”

“So this has been a relatively smooth transition,” he said Friday.

The board is still deciding how it wants to proceed in its search, Tapio said.