School board interviews four supt. candidates
- By Martha Goudey
- Published 05/7/2008
- Schools
- Unrated
The Selah School Board has selected four candidates for preliminary superintendent interviews, which were held Monday and Tuesday night. The school board and a 24-member community advisory group, consisting of staff, parents, community business leaders, teachers and administration, met with the candidates to help with selecting those to have final candidate interviews scheduled the week of May 12.
The board received 22 inquiries, which resulted in sixteen completed applications. The board screened applications and selected four for preliminary interviews.
“We are excited about the quality of the four candidates and are confident there is a correct fit for our community and for the Selah School District,” said Board Chair Todd Trepanier.
The four candidates are: Tim Payne, College Place School District; Eugene Schmidt, Bridgeport School District; Debra Howard, East Valley Spokane School District; and Warren Hopkins, Arlington School District.
Editor’s Note: The Selah Independent emailed the four candidates a short list of questions to help the community get to know the candidates. Those answers are below. The questions were sent out prior to the Monday/Tuesday interviews because of SI deadlines.
Eugene Schmidt
Eugene Schmidt has been the superintendent of the Bridgeport School District since 1999. He was principal at Grand Coulee Dam Middle School from 1995 to 1999, superintendent of White Pass School District from 1993 to 1995 and principal at Wahluke High School from 1985 to 1993.
Why are you interested in the Selah School District position?
Very simply, Selah is special. It is a jewel among schools in our state. Its reputation as a high quality school system continues to grow. This is especially true with the district’s embracement of powerful teaching and learning strategies in the classroom. In addition, Selah gets high marks for balancing the importance of athletics, arts and classroom achievement.
How does Selah compare in size, demographics, and budget compared to Bridgeport School District?
Bridgeport has an enrollment of 700 full-time students, which contrasts to Selah’s 3,515-student enrollment. Bridgeport’s student demographics are almost the exact opposite of Selah. More than 80% of Bridgeport’s students are Hispanic and over 86% qualify for free or reduced lunch. Bridgeport operates on a $7.3 million budget, which contrasts with Selah’s $30 million.
Do you have a philosophy or an overriding principle that guides your actions as an administrator?
My guiding principle is a strong belief in the importance of access and equity for all students. Access means that as educators, we must stand up to Selah’s mission statement which calls for all students to have core and enrichment classes that will equip our students with the knowledge, skills and desire to be contributing citizens and life-long learners.
Realizing Selah’s mission statement is not possible without insuring equity in the classroom. Equity is simply insuring that every student’s experience is engaging, meaningful and relevant.
What do you see as the challenges facing the Selah School District, as well as its strengths?
Challenges
Although a majority of students appear to be meeting or exceeding the WASL benchmarks, students in several categories did not. We need to examine the data to understand why these students are failing and take the actions needed to help them.
Selah has implemented an appropriate and positive response, especially with the use of powerful teaching and learning strategies in the classroom. As teachers become more proficient in the use of these best practices, student achievement will continue to improve and all students will benefit. I will work hard to provide the professional development opportunities to continue to embed powerful teaching and learning throughout the Selah system.
Another challenge is facilities. In a perfect world, Selah would have three, perhaps even four elementary schools. Elementary schools with smaller student populations allows for more targeted instruction that meet the needs of our children. Selah’s population will continue to grow. We need to plan for this future growth. As the next superintendent, I will work closely with the community and staff to develop a strategic plan to act upon our facility needs.
The third challenge is changing demographics. As a school district, Selah must plan and implement educational and cultural strategies that embrace our new diversity. As the next superintendent, I will bring the leadership expertise to guide these discussions and implement the strategies.
Strengths
Selah is well-known for many strengths, including a reputation for promoting high quality education for college-bound students and for the school staff’s ability to instill job-ready skills for those students seeking employment.
Another strength is the quality of its building administrators. These young heroes are demonstrating great leadership skills on a daily basis. Yet another strength is the huge amount of community support, which is demonstrated through the recent M&O levy passage as well as the sizable crowds that attend after-school events. With strengths like these, you can understand why I want to serve this community.
Do you have family/children?
Wendy and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in August. We have two sons. The oldest graduated from Washington State University and the youngest is currently attending Spokane Community College.
Debra Johnson Howard
Debra Howard is currently the superintendent of the Spokane East Valley School District. From 2002 to 2007, Howard was the assistant superintendent for operations at the EVSD. From 1998 to 2002, Howard was Director of Support Services at EVSD from 1998 to 2002. Before that, Howard has a resume that takes her career back to 1975, when she was a Speech Pathologist.
Why are you interested in the Selah School District position?
I am interested in the position because the district has a good reputation for quality in their student performance, which is reflective of quality in their staff. I also enjoy the area, and have a son who lives in Selah.
How does Selah compare in size, demographics, and budget compared to Bridgeport School District?
East Valley has a population of just over 4,000 students, which has been declining for a number of years. EVSD serves an average free and reduced population of 45 percent, with a 2.7 percent transitional bilingual population, which is increasing.
Do you have a philosophy or an overriding principle that guides your actions as an administrator?
As a school district we have a sacred trust with the families who send their children to us, and with the public who support our schools. We need to honor both. First, by ensuring that each student is able to achieve at high levels and has the maximum choices upon graduation from our schools; and second, by keeping our resources as close to the student as possible.
There is no room for mediocrity in today’s educational system and we must relentlessly pursue excellence for our students, their teachers, and their administrators. The high stakes for our students, as well as the trust our communities have in their schools, demand it.
What do you see as the challenges facing the Selah School District, as well as its strengths.
I believe Selah’s strengths are its staff, its commitment to student achievement, and its community support. The major challenges facing Selah include changing demographics in its student population, and passing a bond to ensure that students have appropriate leaning environments.
Do you have family/children?
I am married, have four grown children and four grandchildren. I have a son in Selah, a daughter in Bellingham, and a daughter and son and their families who live in Spokane.
Timothy Payne
Timothy Payne has been the superintendent of the College Place School District from 2001 to the present. He was superintendent of the Keller School District from 1998 to 2001.
He taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grades from 1993 to 1998.
Why are you interested in the Selah School District?
I have a great thing going on in College Place. For me to look outside College Place, the district has to have a good reputation. I have three school-age girls. The community has to offer an excellent educational system and professional opportunities. Selah has both. The quality of the applications the district has received, speaks to Selah’s reputation. I also look forward to working in a district that has demonstrated solid fiscal practices.
How does Selah compare in size, demographics, and budget compared to Bridgeport School District?
The College Place School District has 755 students with a $7.9 million budget, compared to Selah’s 3,252 students, with a $27.9 million budget. Forty percent of the College
Place student population is Hispanic, 54 percent are white, and 54 percent receive free or reduced lunch. Selah’s students are 14.6 percent Hispanic, 70.6 percent white, and 37 percent receive free or reduced lunches (based on 2006 statistics).
Do you have a philosophy or an overriding principle that guides your actions as an administrator?
A. To love people is the beginning; relationships are the building blocks of success. B. The more you connect, the less you correct. C. Focus on kids and their learning. D. I value the development and sharing of thoughts and ideas. E. I believe in Shared/Servant Leadership.
What do you see as the challenges facing the Selah School District, as well as its strengths?
Dr. Parsons and his team have done an excellent job. The challenge is to continue to pursue excellence in difficult political, fiscal, and rapidly changing times and to continue moving the district forward academically, especially in math.
*Facilities. The first step is to figure out what to do, and secondly, to campaign for that. With a successful campaign you have to deliver what you promise. It’s always challenging whenever you are talking about bonds and discovering what the community wants and supports. When you build schools they are there for a long time. The ramifications are also there for a long time.
*Working with, maintaining, and improving the strategic plan process and implementation.
*Flat enrollment
Strengths
The Selah community and school district has a wonderful reputation; hence the strong superintendent candidate pool. Selah School District’s strength is its quality people.
*The district has goals and a strategic plan in place, which is a very strong thing.
*The city is doing good things to diversify and develop the community.
*Selah is a district that desires continual improvement.
*Just passed a levy.
*From the things I can gather there is an excellent team.
Do you have family/children?
I have a wonderful wife who is my best friend! My wife is an early child educator. June 20 we will be married 20 years. I have 3 girls––in 2nd grade, 8th grade, and 10th grade––and they are very active and involved. I enjoy supporting my family in their activities, playing and watching sports––especially basketball, motorcycle riding, and church.
Warren Hopkins
Warren Hopkins has been the deputy superintendent of the Arlington School District since 2005. From 2000 to 2005, Hopkins was the assistant superintendent. From 1986 to 2000, he was a principal in three different high schools, and from 1977 to 1986 Hopkins was a teacher in the Richland School District.
Why are you interested in the Selah School District position?
First, Selah School District has always had an outstanding reputation among educators. Next, from everything I’ve seen, heard, or researched, Selah is a wonderful community that supports its schools and teachers. That makes it the kind of community where I would want to live, work, and contribute to its success. Finally, after more than twenty years as a school administrator, I am looking for the opportunity to share my skills as a superintendent.
How does Selah compare in size, demographics, and budget compared to Arlington School District.
I have spent the last eight years as Deputy Superintendent in Arlington School District. Arlington has approximately 5,200 students and an annual budget of approximately $47 million. In 2007, Arlington completed a multi-year $98 million Capital Projects program to upgrade our facilities that included a replacement high school and stadium, two elementaries, a new middle school, and most recently, a 700-seat performing arts center adjacent to the new high school. Although Arlington is a bit bigger than Selah, the other demographics (ethnic, socio-economic) are very similar.
Do you have a philosophy or an overriding principle that guides your actions as an administrator?
In just a few words, the overriding principles that guide me as a leader are: Compassion, Collaboration, and Community. Compassion for people. How we treat each other and the students trusted to us is the starting point of all learning. As the old saying goes, “Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” How learning takes place is through collaboration. I believe that teamwork among teachers, and with students, parents and administrators, is the best way to help students succeed. I also believe schools are a reflection and foundation of their community. It is the superintendent’s job to work so that everyone in the community knows about and supports their schools.
What do you see as the challenges facing the Selah School District, as well as its strengths?
It is clear that the strengths in Selah are good schools with strong programs and committed staffs that enjoy wonderful community support. The challenges are to first continue the many things that are going well, and then work on those areas the community sees as needs, such as making sure graduates are ready for whatever their next step is after high school, increasing the rigor and relevance of programs, and being mindful of increasing needs (curriculum, facility, maintenance, technology, etc.) while living within limited resources.
Do you have family/children?
I have been married for almost 29 years. My wife is also an educator and has just earned her administrative credentials. We have two daughters. Our oldest is married and has a son who will be two in August. Her husband is a Lieutenant in the Air Force and they are stationed at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Our other daughter has just graduated from WSU and will be getting married in August.
The board received 22 inquiries, which resulted in sixteen completed applications. The board screened applications and selected four for preliminary interviews.
“We are excited about the quality of the four candidates and are confident there is a correct fit for our community and for the Selah School District,” said Board Chair Todd Trepanier.
The four candidates are: Tim Payne, College Place School District; Eugene Schmidt, Bridgeport School District; Debra Howard, East Valley Spokane School District; and Warren Hopkins, Arlington School District.
Editor’s Note: The Selah Independent emailed the four candidates a short list of questions to help the community get to know the candidates. Those answers are below. The questions were sent out prior to the Monday/Tuesday interviews because of SI deadlines.
Eugene Schmidt
Eugene Schmidt has been the superintendent of the Bridgeport School District since 1999. He was principal at Grand Coulee Dam Middle School from 1995 to 1999, superintendent of White Pass School District from 1993 to 1995 and principal at Wahluke High School from 1985 to 1993.
Why are you interested in the Selah School District position?
Very simply, Selah is special. It is a jewel among schools in our state. Its reputation as a high quality school system continues to grow. This is especially true with the district’s embracement of powerful teaching and learning strategies in the classroom. In addition, Selah gets high marks for balancing the importance of athletics, arts and classroom achievement.
How does Selah compare in size, demographics, and budget compared to Bridgeport School District?
Bridgeport has an enrollment of 700 full-time students, which contrasts to Selah’s 3,515-student enrollment. Bridgeport’s student demographics are almost the exact opposite of Selah. More than 80% of Bridgeport’s students are Hispanic and over 86% qualify for free or reduced lunch. Bridgeport operates on a $7.3 million budget, which contrasts with Selah’s $30 million.
Do you have a philosophy or an overriding principle that guides your actions as an administrator?
My guiding principle is a strong belief in the importance of access and equity for all students. Access means that as educators, we must stand up to Selah’s mission statement which calls for all students to have core and enrichment classes that will equip our students with the knowledge, skills and desire to be contributing citizens and life-long learners.
Realizing Selah’s mission statement is not possible without insuring equity in the classroom. Equity is simply insuring that every student’s experience is engaging, meaningful and relevant.
What do you see as the challenges facing the Selah School District, as well as its strengths?
Challenges
Although a majority of students appear to be meeting or exceeding the WASL benchmarks, students in several categories did not. We need to examine the data to understand why these students are failing and take the actions needed to help them.
Selah has implemented an appropriate and positive response, especially with the use of powerful teaching and learning strategies in the classroom. As teachers become more proficient in the use of these best practices, student achievement will continue to improve and all students will benefit. I will work hard to provide the professional development opportunities to continue to embed powerful teaching and learning throughout the Selah system.
Another challenge is facilities. In a perfect world, Selah would have three, perhaps even four elementary schools. Elementary schools with smaller student populations allows for more targeted instruction that meet the needs of our children. Selah’s population will continue to grow. We need to plan for this future growth. As the next superintendent, I will work closely with the community and staff to develop a strategic plan to act upon our facility needs.
The third challenge is changing demographics. As a school district, Selah must plan and implement educational and cultural strategies that embrace our new diversity. As the next superintendent, I will bring the leadership expertise to guide these discussions and implement the strategies.
Strengths
Selah is well-known for many strengths, including a reputation for promoting high quality education for college-bound students and for the school staff’s ability to instill job-ready skills for those students seeking employment.
Another strength is the quality of its building administrators. These young heroes are demonstrating great leadership skills on a daily basis. Yet another strength is the huge amount of community support, which is demonstrated through the recent M&O levy passage as well as the sizable crowds that attend after-school events. With strengths like these, you can understand why I want to serve this community.
Do you have family/children?
Wendy and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in August. We have two sons. The oldest graduated from Washington State University and the youngest is currently attending Spokane Community College.
Debra Johnson Howard
Debra Howard is currently the superintendent of the Spokane East Valley School District. From 2002 to 2007, Howard was the assistant superintendent for operations at the EVSD. From 1998 to 2002, Howard was Director of Support Services at EVSD from 1998 to 2002. Before that, Howard has a resume that takes her career back to 1975, when she was a Speech Pathologist.
Why are you interested in the Selah School District position?
I am interested in the position because the district has a good reputation for quality in their student performance, which is reflective of quality in their staff. I also enjoy the area, and have a son who lives in Selah.
How does Selah compare in size, demographics, and budget compared to Bridgeport School District?
East Valley has a population of just over 4,000 students, which has been declining for a number of years. EVSD serves an average free and reduced population of 45 percent, with a 2.7 percent transitional bilingual population, which is increasing.
Do you have a philosophy or an overriding principle that guides your actions as an administrator?
As a school district we have a sacred trust with the families who send their children to us, and with the public who support our schools. We need to honor both. First, by ensuring that each student is able to achieve at high levels and has the maximum choices upon graduation from our schools; and second, by keeping our resources as close to the student as possible.
There is no room for mediocrity in today’s educational system and we must relentlessly pursue excellence for our students, their teachers, and their administrators. The high stakes for our students, as well as the trust our communities have in their schools, demand it.
What do you see as the challenges facing the Selah School District, as well as its strengths.
I believe Selah’s strengths are its staff, its commitment to student achievement, and its community support. The major challenges facing Selah include changing demographics in its student population, and passing a bond to ensure that students have appropriate leaning environments.
Do you have family/children?
I am married, have four grown children and four grandchildren. I have a son in Selah, a daughter in Bellingham, and a daughter and son and their families who live in Spokane.
Timothy Payne
Timothy Payne has been the superintendent of the College Place School District from 2001 to the present. He was superintendent of the Keller School District from 1998 to 2001.
He taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grades from 1993 to 1998.
Why are you interested in the Selah School District?
I have a great thing going on in College Place. For me to look outside College Place, the district has to have a good reputation. I have three school-age girls. The community has to offer an excellent educational system and professional opportunities. Selah has both. The quality of the applications the district has received, speaks to Selah’s reputation. I also look forward to working in a district that has demonstrated solid fiscal practices.
How does Selah compare in size, demographics, and budget compared to Bridgeport School District?
The College Place School District has 755 students with a $7.9 million budget, compared to Selah’s 3,252 students, with a $27.9 million budget. Forty percent of the College
Place student population is Hispanic, 54 percent are white, and 54 percent receive free or reduced lunch. Selah’s students are 14.6 percent Hispanic, 70.6 percent white, and 37 percent receive free or reduced lunches (based on 2006 statistics).
Do you have a philosophy or an overriding principle that guides your actions as an administrator?
A. To love people is the beginning; relationships are the building blocks of success. B. The more you connect, the less you correct. C. Focus on kids and their learning. D. I value the development and sharing of thoughts and ideas. E. I believe in Shared/Servant Leadership.
What do you see as the challenges facing the Selah School District, as well as its strengths?
Dr. Parsons and his team have done an excellent job. The challenge is to continue to pursue excellence in difficult political, fiscal, and rapidly changing times and to continue moving the district forward academically, especially in math.
*Facilities. The first step is to figure out what to do, and secondly, to campaign for that. With a successful campaign you have to deliver what you promise. It’s always challenging whenever you are talking about bonds and discovering what the community wants and supports. When you build schools they are there for a long time. The ramifications are also there for a long time.
*Working with, maintaining, and improving the strategic plan process and implementation.
*Flat enrollment
Strengths
The Selah community and school district has a wonderful reputation; hence the strong superintendent candidate pool. Selah School District’s strength is its quality people.
*The district has goals and a strategic plan in place, which is a very strong thing.
*The city is doing good things to diversify and develop the community.
*Selah is a district that desires continual improvement.
*Just passed a levy.
*From the things I can gather there is an excellent team.
Do you have family/children?
I have a wonderful wife who is my best friend! My wife is an early child educator. June 20 we will be married 20 years. I have 3 girls––in 2nd grade, 8th grade, and 10th grade––and they are very active and involved. I enjoy supporting my family in their activities, playing and watching sports––especially basketball, motorcycle riding, and church.
Warren Hopkins
Warren Hopkins has been the deputy superintendent of the Arlington School District since 2005. From 2000 to 2005, Hopkins was the assistant superintendent. From 1986 to 2000, he was a principal in three different high schools, and from 1977 to 1986 Hopkins was a teacher in the Richland School District.
Why are you interested in the Selah School District position?
First, Selah School District has always had an outstanding reputation among educators. Next, from everything I’ve seen, heard, or researched, Selah is a wonderful community that supports its schools and teachers. That makes it the kind of community where I would want to live, work, and contribute to its success. Finally, after more than twenty years as a school administrator, I am looking for the opportunity to share my skills as a superintendent.
How does Selah compare in size, demographics, and budget compared to Arlington School District.
I have spent the last eight years as Deputy Superintendent in Arlington School District. Arlington has approximately 5,200 students and an annual budget of approximately $47 million. In 2007, Arlington completed a multi-year $98 million Capital Projects program to upgrade our facilities that included a replacement high school and stadium, two elementaries, a new middle school, and most recently, a 700-seat performing arts center adjacent to the new high school. Although Arlington is a bit bigger than Selah, the other demographics (ethnic, socio-economic) are very similar.
Do you have a philosophy or an overriding principle that guides your actions as an administrator?
In just a few words, the overriding principles that guide me as a leader are: Compassion, Collaboration, and Community. Compassion for people. How we treat each other and the students trusted to us is the starting point of all learning. As the old saying goes, “Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” How learning takes place is through collaboration. I believe that teamwork among teachers, and with students, parents and administrators, is the best way to help students succeed. I also believe schools are a reflection and foundation of their community. It is the superintendent’s job to work so that everyone in the community knows about and supports their schools.
What do you see as the challenges facing the Selah School District, as well as its strengths?
It is clear that the strengths in Selah are good schools with strong programs and committed staffs that enjoy wonderful community support. The challenges are to first continue the many things that are going well, and then work on those areas the community sees as needs, such as making sure graduates are ready for whatever their next step is after high school, increasing the rigor and relevance of programs, and being mindful of increasing needs (curriculum, facility, maintenance, technology, etc.) while living within limited resources.
Do you have family/children?
I have been married for almost 29 years. My wife is also an educator and has just earned her administrative credentials. We have two daughters. Our oldest is married and has a son who will be two in August. Her husband is a Lieutenant in the Air Force and they are stationed at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Our other daughter has just graduated from WSU and will be getting married in August.