Kudos for a good decision by Vashon’s school board last week to pause its search for a new superintendent — a move that will help Interim Superintendent Jo Moccia address a number of priorities that are fast approaching.

In her brief time as interim, Moccia — leaning on her decades of experience elsewhere — has provided a steady hand and welcoming presence in the district’s administrative office.

But her job here has not been easy, so we are grateful that she is willing is do it for one year. By the time Vashon finally finds its new superintendent, that leader will arrive in a more highly functioning district.

There is no work more important than educating and nurturing our youth and no workplace more seemingly fraught than that of school buildings — places swarming with kids, parents, volunteers, educators and other workers.

Collaboration and collegiality is essential in this beehive, yet is also constantly threatened by the hierarchical structure of public education staffing, where pay, benefits and the ability to make decisions are distributed unevenly.

Then add in social media — a place where more and more people feel free to lob unproven accusations against the district — and the wary eyes of islanders watching to see how the district is managing its huge share of Vashon’s property tax dollars, and leadership becomes even more difficult. And that’s not even factoring in a federal administration that seems hell-bent on dismantling decades-long structures of support for public education.

That’s the degree of difficulty that Moccia and other educational leaders face these days.

We’re fortunate to have her at the helm right now and witness the way she exudes grace, competence, compassion and steel, all the same time, in her determination to steer the district’s ship in the right direction.