The Willow Run school board named a district principal to serve as acting superintendent while current Superintendent Doris Hope-Jackson is away from the district.

The unanimous vote by the board did little to clear up the mystery surrounding Hope-Jackson’s long-term future at the helm of the district in eastern Washtenaw County.

Laura Lisiscki, principal of Kaiser Elementary School, will be in charge of the district for the foreseeable future. No date was attached to her tenure.

“This decision was not made lightly,” board President Sheri Washington told the district. “It’s a first step. We have more steps to take. Let’s do what we have to do.”

No official statement was made about Hope-Jackson's absence from the district.

However, former school board Vice President Harold Wimberly recently told an Ypsilanti-area online news site that Hope-Jackson’s absence was due to a “terrible accident.”

Wimberly resigned from the board last month. In his resignation letter, he criticized the district’s leaders for failing to work together.

The school board is interviewing candidates tonight to replace Wimberly and planned to appoint someone before the end of the meeting.

This is the second time in recent days the board has gathered to appoint an acting superintendent. However, last week’s meeting was canceled due to technical issues in posting notice of the meeting.

Board members spent about 30 minutes tonight in a closed session before the meeting.

They then came out and unanimously approved Lisiscki’s appointment without much comment.

Clifford Smith, a long-time trustee, said he originally planned to abstain from the vote due to concerns about taking a principal from a building and also concerns over Lisiscki's role as president of the administrator’s union.

But he said those questions were answered during the closed session.

“I think we’re doing something right until Dr. Jackson comes back or we decide to do something else,” he said.

Hope-Jackson has been a controversial figure in the district, with both ardent supporters and vocal critics.

She arrived in 2007 and quickly began tussling with the teachers' union. Hope-Jackson transferred a number of teachers and counselors to different positions - moves she said were done to bring the district into compliance with federal law.

Last May, voters in the district ousted longtime board member Andy Blakita and voted in two new board members who were critical of Hope-Jackson.

At the end of the last school year, Hope-Jackson sent a letter of resignation to the board, but withdrew it a few days later.

Washington has been highly critical of Hope-Jackson and sparred with her both in public and in private e-mail exchanges in the past.

The district is operating under a state-mandated deficit elimination plan. Its budget shortfall at one point topped $3 million.

Willow Run also struggles academically, with standardized test scores consistently falling below the state average. In addition, Willow Run's graduation rate is just over 50 percent.

David Jesse covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at davidjesse@annarbor.com or at 734-623-2534.