La Conner schools to lose its superintendent

La Conner School District Superintendent Will Nelson, the face of the local district for the past three years, is about to do an about face in terms of his professional career path.

Nelson announced in an email to district staff last Friday that he will leave his position in June as lead administrator at La Conner Schools to accept a teaching post with Western Washington University in Bellingham.

In an email delivered as students and staff embarked on their weeklong spring break, Nelson did not divulge a specific reason for his departure other than the WWU faculty opportunity.

“I’m looking forward to joining the faculty at Western Washington University in the Education Leadership Department,” he said.

In doing so, Nelson will follow one of his La Conner predecessors, Tim Bruce. He left the district as superintendent to teach at WWU. Nelson worked on his doctorate degree at WWU.

During his La Conner tenure, Nelson helped spearhead innovative academic programs such as Mastery-Based Learning and Universal Design for Learning. He advocated for Professional Learning Communities, which has allowed teachers and staff to engage in more in-depth lesson planning. The district initiated Late Start Wednesdays to give staff more time to collaborate.

“I am hopeful that the contributions we’ve made together in service of our students continues long after I have left,” Nelson said in his email. “You all have demonstrated your commitment to the growth and learning of each of our students and through your dedicated efforts our students and their families have benefited.”

Nelson told his colleagues that the district administration team has already started transition discussions.

“We’ll share this information as details emerge,” he said.

Nelson came to La Conner in 2021 on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the district has seen a continued steady drop in student enrollment, the primary driver of state funding of public schools.

The district, which two decades ago had enrolled about 700 K-12 students, is projecting just 460 full-time pupils next year. The decrease in state funding forced severe district budget cuts last year and led Nelson and other administrators to juggle additional duties.

“The La Conner School Board would like to thank Dr. Nelson for his three years of service to the La Conner School District,” board president Susie Deyo told the Weekly News Monday afternoon. “We wish him all the best as he pursues his career at WWU. The board will be thoughtful as we consider our options as we move forward.”

A member of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana, Nelson was viewed as an ideal fit when hired to lead La Conner schools, whose student population is greater than 30% Native American.

Nelson is the fifth superintendent at La Conner since Bruce, who guided the district for a quarter century.

Peg Seeling served as interim superintendent for one year prior to her retirement. Whitney Meissner led the district for three years before she left for an administrative role in the large Lake Washington School District in King County.

Andy Wheeler, the district’s retired director of special programs, was temporary superintendent for 10 days before Rich Stewart, a retiree with extensive school administrative experience, was secured as interim superintendent for a year before Nelson’s hiring.

Nelson is committed to finishing the school year on a strong note, he told district employees.

“We will have nine weeks of school left when we get back from spring break, and that time is going to go by so fast,” he said. “I look forward to sharing our time together between now and the end of the year.”