Tukwila School Superintendent Search

Happy New Year my fellow Tukwilians!!!

As we embark on a new year, we find ourselves at the beginning of a search to hire a new school superintendent. If you would like to participate in this process please complete the Tukwila School District Superintendent Profile Survey at http://bit.ly/ZZUMWX.

Here are my thoughts on this subject.

The Tukwila School District (TSD) has suffered through a fractious year. I won’t rehash or revisit the challenges we have faced in the past year at this time but suffice it to say that there are a host of issues we, as a community and as a school district will and must continue to address. I will say that in my humble opinion, the right superintendent hire will go a long way towards restoring teacher, staff, student and full community confidence in the district’s direction.

The right hire will be a great communicator and will be someone that is respected by all stakeholders. The right hire will choose to remain in the job long enough to have a positive impact on our students and will establish and effectively articulate a common vision and operate with transparency. That person must be a bridge between the board, teachers, students, parents and a community that is increasingly diverse. Therefore we must be intentional in our recruitment of qualified Latinos, Vietnamese, African-American, Somali and Eastern European candidates. The intent is not to exclude anyone, but to include everyone.

With the role of the school board clearly defined and that of the superintendent clearly defined we will then be able to see progress at the student level. We have one of the most highly educated teacher groups in our area with approximately 70% of our teachers with at least a master’s degree. Working effectively and cooperatively with the teachers union will further ensure trust, stability and success for years to come.

Please attend one if not all of the following community meetings:

Community Meetings for Parent and Community Input for the Tukwila School Board.
Translators will be available

Tuesday, January 15: Tukwila Elementary 6:30 pm
Wednesday, January 16: Cascade View Elementary 6 pm
Thursday, January 17: Thorndyke Elementary School 9 am
Thursday, January 17: Foster/Showalter @ Showalter Middle School, 6 pm

I Love Tukwila