School board evaluates new superintendent

La Conner School District Superintendent Will Nelson was like a student facing a big exam Monday.

The administrator, hired last spring and at the helm since July 1, underwent his initial job evaluation during a one-hour executive session at the end of a special, mid-month board meeting.

The board announced no action and adjourned immediately when it reconvened on Zoom.

But early indications are that all went well.

Nelson and board members lavished praise on one another prior to the executive session, making a lengthy review of efforts to set and communicate high expectations for student learning, a goal the coronavirus pandemic makes challenging.

“You all are doing phenomenal work,” Nelson told the board. “It’s exciting to see.”

Board member John Agen, rarely one to avoid a punch line, quipped that Nelson had “a conflict of interest.”

“I wouldn’t say it,” Nelson insisted, “if I didn’t believe it.”

The board navigated a busy agenda, addressing numerous policies and procedures and action items in an hour-plus.

They endorsed policies related to ethical conduct of school directors; training and professional development for board members in areas related to equity, inclusion and diversity; and student freedoms of expression.

Agen said he is pleased with the board’s decision to prioritize capital improvements. “We, as a board,” he said, “have been proactive by putting funds in the capital budget,” reflecting a board goal to ensure district facilities comply with current health, safety, security and accessibility standards.

High school principal Christine Tripp and counselor Lori Buher discussed the status of senior class members, who have dealt with COVID-19 since spring of their sophomore year. A significant number of the 60-member class has firm plans for attending college or technical school after graduation, said Buher. The state is acting to mitigate hardships COVID-19 has created for the class of 2022, Tripp reported. “There are opportunities with waivers to help students impacted by COVID-19 in the core subjects. They are going to waive up to two credits.”

“Orcas Island now has a new school bus,” said board president Susie Gardner Deyo, announcing the $8,000 sale of a surplus bus to the Orcas Island School District. “It’s one with a lot of La Conner Braves stickers on it,” board member Lynette Cram noted.

They accepted a $3,799.80 donation from the La Conner Rotary Club for offsetting the cost of snacks purchased last year for the after-school program.

They authorized the purchase of bulk diesel fuel from Skagit farmers The district will pay less than $2 per gallon.

They approved overnight travel for the basketball teams and cheer squad to Spokane for the state tournament. “We still have a couple more wins to get there,” Deyo said, “but we’re really excited about this trip to Spokane.”