Superintendent Search

"Throughout the interview process, we have been thoroughly impressed by the exceptional caliber of candidates aspiring to lead our district,” said Mari Taylor, Lake Stevens School District Board President. “Each semifinalist showcased a clear understanding of what sets Lake Stevens apart as an exceptional learning environment, along with a keen awareness of the opportunities and challenges we face moving forward. I want to extend my sincere gratitude to our students, employees, families, and community members for their invaluable participation in this process. Their engagement is crucial as we move forward together in choosing the next leader for our school district.”

Each finalist will spend a day visiting the district, and meeting with students and employees before an evening community forum from 6 to 7 p.m. on April 16, 17 & 18. Participants may attend the forum in-person at the Educational Services Center (ESC), or via Zoom. A detailed finalist schedule is available below.

Community members were encouraged to submit questions for the finalist interviews before 5 p.m. on Monday, April 15. The form for receiving these questions is now closed.

The board expects to announce the new superintendent in an open public meeting after deliberations on Friday, April 19 beginning at 9 a.m. at the ESC. The new superintendent will begin their role on July 1, when Dr. Ken Collins retires.

Finalist Schedule - April 16, 17 & 18

April 10, 2024

We're excited to invite our students, employees, families, and community members to meet our superintendent finalists.

• Employees: Please choose the time that best fits your role.
• Public forum: Participants are invited to attend in-person, or via Zoom.

Your participation is crucial in shaping our district's future, and we look forward to your valuable insights.

The Finalist Schedule (PDF) is available for download.

Feedback forms for the finalists

Presubmit staff and community questions for the April 16, 17 & 18 finalists interviews

Students, staff and community members have the opportunity to submit interview questions to be asked during the community interview portion of our superintendent search. Please submit questions by Monday, April 15 at 5 p.m. using this form (update: the form is closed).

Pre-submitted questions will be asked during the 6 p.m. sessions on April 16, 17 and 18. If time allows, participants may also be able to ask additional questions during the interviews. 

Register to attend the April 13 in-person Board meeting

An open board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, April 13, 2024, to include student, staff and community participation. The agenda includes interviews with the superintendent semi-finalist candidates. 

To maintain the integrity of the interview process, attendees will be required to remain in the room for the duration of each interview. Space is limited to 75 individuals for in-person attendance, necessitating prior registration through this form (link disabled). Meeting room doors will be locked at the start of each interview to minimize disruptions. Guests may enter or leave during the break time between each interview.

To provide feedback while listening to the interview, attendees should use their mobile devices to scan the QR code that will be displayed for each candidate. Paper feedback forms will be available for participants who don’t have mobile devices or those with accessibility needs.

There will be a virtual option through Zoom to listen and provide feedback. There is no limit to the number of remote attendees for this meeting. Zoom participants will be given the link to the respective feedback form during each interview.

Feedback forms for the semi-finalists

Applicant Pool Summary

April 9, 2024

The application process closed on April 5.  Here are some statistics from that pool:

Superintendent Mid-Search Update

Our Board of Directors received an update from Northwest Leadership Associates during their March 13 meeting.

As of Wednesday evening, 667 individuals had participated in the leadership profile survey, which will continue to accept responses until March 29. The insights gathered from the survey will assist our Board in identifying key qualities for our future leader. To date, there have been four completed applications for the position, and with the application deadline set for April 5, we anticipate a significant increase in applicants as the deadline approaches.

On Feb. 5, the consultants held 17 focus groups with a total of 50 participants, including board members, school and district administrators, staff, students, labor groups, city leaders, parents/caregivers and community members.

Thank you to everyone who has participated in this crucial process! 

We will share additional information once finalists are selected, including how you can participate either in-person or virtually.

Share your vision for our next superintendent

The Lake Stevens School District Board of Directors invites you to give your input by completing the Leadership Profile Survey. The survey aims to gather information and feedback on what is desired for the next Superintendent of Lake Stevens School District. The survey should take no longer than five minutes to complete.

Your feedback will directly influence the criteria the board uses to evaluate candidates, and to ensure that our selection aligns with the expectations and needs of our school community.

As of Friday, March 29, the survey is now closed. The following links to the survey have been deactivated.

Leadership Profile Survey - English
Leadership Profile Survey - Spanish

Common threads from focus groups

On Feb. 5, Northwest Leadership Associates hosted 17 focus groups with 50 participants. Three prompts were posed to participants: 

• What are the celebrations within Lake Stevens School District? 
• What are the challenges facing Lake Stevens School District? 
• What attributes are you looking for in your next leader? 

Focus Group Results (PDF)

Here are the common threads shared by participants:

Celebrations:

• High expectations for schools and students
• Strong and positive sense of community
• Supportive and approachable school board, administration and staff
• Culture of teamwork and trust
• New housing and growing enrollment
• School – community partnerships
• Teachers supported by administration and community
• Board works well together
• Foundation for Excellence – strategic plan
• People care about the district – caring staff
• Growing diversity of students – DEI work
• Student voice in the district
• Good labor relations
• Student options – academically and student activities
• Community support for levies and bonds – values education

Challenges:

• Leadership change – transition to new leader – “big shoes” to fill
• Political divide in district – pushback – online presence
• Growing community – increase in enrollment – capacity
• Social, emotional support for students and staff
• Consistently build upon and support “Foundation for Excellence”
• Need for diverse staff to reflect student population
• Staffing and substitutes shortages
• Building trust with teachers, administration and community
• Passing future bonds and levies
• Special education – services and funding
• Maintaining strong fiscal stewardship
• Continues focus up and training on diversity, equity and inclusion
• Open contracts with bargaining units over next two years

Attributes:

• High expectations for all – staff, students and administration
• Supports and promotes the “Foundation for Excellence”
• Good listener, charismatic, relationship builder, supporter, encouraging
• Visible, involved, interacts with schools, activities and in the community
• Values all members of the school, district and Lake Stevens community
• Able to maintain, grow and nurture strong community and district relationships/partnerships – develops trust
• Transparent/honest/approachable/inspiring/collaborator
• Sound fiscal management experience – successful experience with bonds and levies
• Collaborative problem solver – someone who can make hard decisions
• Clear equity perspective and experience
• Supportive of and involved with teachers, staff and students
• Strong communicator – listener – open minded – relationship focused
• Successful experience as educational/instructional leader – classroom/building/district level experience – knows teaching and learning
• Focuses on students – behavior social/emotional support and safety
• Residency in or near Lake Stevens desired/important – longevity in position
• Listens to student voices – advocate – does what is best for kids