Pres. Jackie Pendergrass and school board to decide. |
Opinion Updated 1/25: The School Board will introduce their preferred candidate, Traci Pierce, to the community during "Meet and Greets" (M&G) this January. Parents and the community are invited to give input to Board members. Send your feedback to the Board by February 22 at board@lwsd.org and if you have your own preferred candidate let them and your neighbors know! I like Traci a lot, but prefer Principal Jane Todd, Redmond High for her known community Leadership skills.
UPDATED OPINION: At their December 5 meeting the Lake Washington School Board will decide if they want to put forward an internal candidate for Superintendent.
According to the Administration in a press release, "the district is in the middle of a major initiative - changing its grade configuration - which will affect every school in the district." Grade reconfiguration - along with growth pains from the new Stem School, RHS wing, and EHS wing and other immediate challenges - could benefit from "consistent leadership" of an internal candidate. "Knowledge and experience of these ongoing challenges also favor the consideration of internal candidates," says the Administration.
The Board will evaluate all candidates based on criteria gathered from the online survey ("read more") and interviews with staff and community members. If they can't decide on an internal candidate, they'll look outside.
Do you think an internal candidate is appropriate considering what we're facing for the next few years? Is an interim Superintendent an option? A couple of names that come to mind are Deputy Superintendent of Instructional Services, Dr.Traci Pierce, and Redmond High Principal Jane Todd. Do you have any recommendations or favorites? I think Deputy Superintendent Janine Fogard is most effective staying where she is, as Chief Operating Officer. She knows the district "plumbing" better than anyone. Ms. Fogard, as Director of Finance, has an excellent business services finance team led by Barbara Posthumus. Read More>>