Medina to resign from NKSD after school year

Published 10:14 am Saturday, April 26, 2008

POULSBO — When the 2007-08 school year comes to a close this June, so will Dr. Gene Medina’s career as the North Kitsap School District Superintendent.

Medina’s formal announcement to retire at the end of the school year was made Thursday night at the NKSD Board of Directors meeting.

“I think the board is already aware of this, but I am officially retiring in June of 2008,” Medina said. “You reach a point where you know it’s kind of time… It’s time. This is a personal decision.”

Following the meeting, Medina reflected on his nine years of service to the NKSD.

“When I started here, we developed a vision and a plan of what we wanted the district to look by the end of 2008,” he said. “I feel we’ve reached that point.”

“I’m excited about the next five to seven year phase the district will go through now. That’s the part of the reason for my retirement,” he said. “I’m 61 and would hate to start in that next phase and leave within a year or two. I hope the person that replaces me stays to see the next phase completed.”

Medina took the superintendent’s chair at the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year. Prior to his arrival at the NKSD, he served as superintendent in the Port Townsend School District and the Oak Harbor School District.

Making the decision to call it a career wasn’t easy, he admitted.

“I love this work and this district. It has been and is professionally and personally rewarding and enriching to work with our school board, administrators, staff, students, parents and our community leaders,” he said. “We have been accomplishing amazing things over the years. While I know it is time for me to retire from the superintendent’s role, I know that our commitment to all students and focus on their success will continue undeterred. It is all about success for all students. It is our mission, it is our core work.”

Medina made the announcement with roughly eight months remaining in his tenure because he knows firsthand how long it will take to find and hire a suitable candidate.

“It is time consuming, the board will need time to establish and implement their selection process,” he said.

NKSD Board President Melanie Mohler said the board already has a meeting scheduled with an outside consultant to start the process of finding Medina’s replacement.

“We have a meeting with a consultant who talks with school boards to help them start the search process for a superintendent,” she said. “We have a study session meeting scheduled for Nov. 28. This is where we will figure out what our job description will look like and what our visions and goals are.”

Mohler knows how important it is to find the “right” person for the position.

“We need to find someone who respects the changes that have been made since Gene has been here, and help us find a vision in the district for the next 10 years,” she said.

The board president said she was amazed with everything Medina has accomplished during his tenure.

“I’ve always been impressed with how organized and what a great leader Gene is,” Mohler said. “His leadership skills have gone a long way. He’s taken this district to a whole new level since he’s been here.”

Fellow school board member Dan Delaney said he wasn’t surprised about Medina’s impending retirement.

“He told the school board at one of our retreats last spring that he was going to retire,” he said. “We’re now embarking on the most important thing a school board does. Finding a new superintendent. Gene’s been the superintendent here for a long time. He’s been here three times the tenancy of the average superintendent and the reason is because he’s done a great job.”

Delaney said Medina’s efforts have paid dividends for students attending NKSD schools since his arrival.

“The students have benefited from everything Gene has done,” he said. “We’re very lucky Gene decided to stay as long as he did. People in the district are better able to get their jobs done because of the culture he has created at this district.”

Medina foresees that all the planned improvement efforts for 2007-08 and leadership transition activities will keep him focused on the tasks of his job responsibility until next June.

“There’s a lot to do in the coming months to continue our momentum and prepare for the 2008-09 school year,” he said.

The outgoing superintendent has accomplished plenty during his tenure. He’s led the district through the passage of two school levies, a $60.1 million bond that provided renovation for many of the district’s older schools as well as the swimming pool and construction of the new Kingston High School which opened in September.

In addition, Medina is active in statewide and regional education leadership. He is a member of Washington State Superintendent Terry Bergeson’s Superintendents’ Advisory Committee and is an organizer of Crossroads, a regional school districts’ collaborative focused on strategies for attaining full and appropriate funding for public education. He is also actively involved in the Poulsbo and Kingston Chambers of Commerce, Kingston Rotary, Kingston Citizens Advisory Council, and he works with city and county governments and the Public Facilities District to build partnerships.

Just because Medina is stepping down from his position as superintendent, doesn’t necessarily mean he will be participating in one of his favorite pastimes — fishing — on a daily basis.

“I’m retiring from my position but I’m not getting out of the business of schools. Schools is part of who I am as a person,” he said. “I know I want to teach, write and partake in leadership activities. I love poetry and writing.”

Medina said he’s thoroughly enjoyed working with NKSD employees for the better part of a decade.

“The people here are just fantastic,” he said. “It’s been a pleasure working with these fine individuals. I will miss the day to day relationships that you build when you work with somebody. This district is full of amazing people.”