1. Looking Back –
Looking Ahead
Lessons from the field

2. •White Pass School
District

3. Takhlakh Lake

4. Packwood Lake

5. •Geographically
quite large
•Three distinct
•communities (all
unincorporated)
• Glenoma
• Randle
• Packwood
•Decreased
enrollment in the
last decade
•Significant
superintendent
turnover
District Context

6. Applied for a job Began to look
Interview in
as an internal for jobs with
White Pass: two
candidate: one specific
sided
sided attributes
Didn‟t get the Not place bound
Offered job
job but not limitless
Wanted another
Should I stay or Negotiated
interview and
should I try to contract and
ultimately a
go? made the move
position
My path to today

7. Finishing
Demolition of
Negotiations construction on
two schools
a new school
Hiring staff And then…
There’s no “easing in…”

8.  August 16, 2011
When you have one new board
member…

9. Closing some chapters in the
district’s history…

10. …and writing new ones.

11.  Join, join, join
◦ Trail riders club
◦ Theater supporters
◦ Friends of the museum
 Attend, attend, attend
◦ Games
◦ Community events (fire hall breakfast, pet ministry
breakfast)
◦ Senior luncheons
 Be visible
Becoming a community member

12.  November 8, 2011
The board that hires you…

13. Situations arose in
which:
• I had no previous
knowledge upon
which to draw
• Google couldn‟t
help me
• WSDDA did not
have any
recommended
policies or sample
letters
• I had to figure it
out…fast
I‟ve had my share of “cougar”
moments (and I am not talking about
the „cougs).

14. Some dogs can’t help with
cougars…

15. Confidence Scale
4
3.5
3 3
2.5 2.5
2
1.5
1
Mind the dip and keep going!

16.  Seek out help when
needed; you aren‟t Sources
alone •OSPI
• Technical
Assistance
• Compliance
•ESDs
• Fiscal
• PD
•Attorney
•Superintendents
•WSSDA
•Mentors

17. I have taken breaks. Real
ones. Not the “watch a video
WHILE you read email” kind.

18.  Pace setting
 Negotiations
 Strategic planning
 Board relationships
My greatest upcoming challenges