By RICHARD WALKER
and SOPHIE BONOMI
North Kitsap Herald

POULSBO — A representative of the North Kitsap Education Association said teachers had no input regarding the selection of an interim principal at North Kitsap High School.

And that proves their point made in a survey last fall, the rep said: Superintendent Patty Page doesn’t communicate with, seek input from or trust the judgment of those on the school level.

Members of the North Kitsap Education Association, or NKEA, plan to meet May 5 to discuss their frustrations with what they was a lack of communication regarding Principal Judson Miller’s upcoming departure and the selection of his interim successor, according to Randy Powell, a North Kitsap High School teacher and lead building representative with the NKEA.

A week earlier, on April 28, the NKEA presented to the school board the results of a survey, in which 77 percent of teachers said the overall working climate in the school district is negative. While 85 percent said their work is “understood and valued” by their principals and that they “feel safe” speaking up about concerns at the building level, the results are opposite on the district level.

A majority of survey respondents reported not feeling comfortable making concerns known at the district level, and that they felt there is a huge disconnect with the district and that their work is not understood by the district.

In the survey, 79 percent of respondents said NKSD is not headed in the right direction; 57 percent said NKSD is not a good place to work.

Some 299 of 360 union members participated in the survey, conducted by the union last fall.

“Most of our principals are the only administrators who have any understanding of our issues and our concerns,” NKEA President Chris Fraser said in a press release about the survey results. “We’re worried about the pressure they are under and we plan to stand with them and for them to advocate for positive changes at the district level.”

Page said April 29 that the survey was conducted in the fall as the district and union were negotiating a new contract. “That’s where the timing was in this survey,” she said.

“I’m not going to tell you there are not morale issues,” Page said. “We’ve had lots of things happen — a school closure, budget issues. We’ve intensified the focus on student learning. All those things cause angst but we are making great progress. We have great teachers and principals and district office leaders, and we are taking care of students better than we have before.”

She added, “There is a belief that there is top-down leadership. I am the superintendent, and I’m not going to shy away from that.”

She doesn’t believe morale today is as bad as the survey would indicate. “A very high percent” of teachers voted to ratify the contract, she said. The district has increased staffing, lowered class sizes, and invested more in professional development. A budget surplus will enable to district to pay for new heating and air conditioning units and a new roof at Kingston Middle School and to weather a decrease in the property tax levy from 28 to 24 percent in 2018.

‘THE FACULTY IS KIND OF UPSET’
Powell, the lead building rep, said May 4 that the staff at NKHS were informed that morning by Page, Assistant Superintendent Chris Willits and Jeff Sweeney, executive director of teaching and learning that they’d selected a new interim principal for next year, “and they’ve done that without any input from the faculty, so the faculty’s kind of upset.”

At 8:35 a.m. that morning, Page sent the following email to district staff members and parents:

“It is with mixed emotions that we announce Judson Miller, Principal of North Kitsap High School, will be leaving North Kitsap at the end of June. He has accepted the position of principal at Hellgate High School in Missoula, Montana. We are excited for Judson and we wish him all the best in his new adventure. Judson has been the principal of NKHS for 5 years and his leadership has transformed the school. He will be missed, but his work will continue. We would like to thank Judson for the difference he has made in North Kitsap.

“With the departure of Judson, we are pleased to announce that Megan Sawicki, Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning, will be the Interim Principal for North Kitsap High School for the 2016-17 school year. Megan is currently responsible for the district’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, as well as counseling, athletics and music. Prior to Megan stepping in to her current role, she had been an assistant principal in both North Kitsap and Kingston high schools for the previous five years.”

In the press release about the survey results, Fraser said she hopes the rank and file will have a voice in who the next superintendent is; Page is under contract through summer 2017. “We expect the district to publicly address our concerns and, as we begin the search for a new superintendent, we must look for a leader who understands and advocates to improve learning conditions for students as they deserve a high-quality education. Our goal continues to be to make North Kitsap schools a great place to learn, live and work.”