Rick Thompson comes aboard…

New superintendent for the San Juan Island School District Rick Thompson.

Looks like we got a good one – I enjoyed listening to new superintendent Rick Thompson last January when he met with the community as part of the search process, and had a chance to visit with him yesterday at the end of a long day that saw him sworn-in at noon & diving into the job right away.

I like what I hear of his philosophy of education, and his feeling about the role our schools can have in positively shaping our kids. We have good schools here; I think the system just got better, with Rick on board. Welcome to the community, Mr. Thompson!

Letter from Superintendent Rick Thompson

Greetings! I am excited to begin work on San Juan as the new school Superintendent on July 1. For those of you I haven’t met yet, I am beginning my 25th year in public education in Washington State. I worked as a teacher and coach for several years and as a school principal for 12 years. I then served in district office roles including two years as the Superintendent in the Lynden School District in Whatcom County.

I am a product of the Renton Public School System and Western Washington University. I completed my graduate work at Western in 1989 and earned Superintendent Credentials through Western in 2008. My credential work included over 2,000 hours in an internship format where I studies school board policy development, state funding of public education, and instructional leadership. I enjoy our work and am highly committed to public education.

I believe deeply that a strong school system is an integral part of a healthy and hopeful community. Strong schools are also the foundation of a democracy and our way of life.

I was fortunate to be hired for the position a few months ago. Since then I have been studying and learning more about both the Island and the school district. I have been very impressed with the level of community engagement and commitment to the school district. Likewise, I have really enjoyed getting to know the school board members and the staff who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to the work and mission of public education. I will continue to learn as much as I can about the challenges and opportunities in the district.

The school district budget for the 2010-2011 school year has been adopted. Once again, the district has taken measures to improve efficiencies in light of reduced state revenue. Over the last two years, this district, along with many others, has scrutinized many parts of the operating budget to maintain core educational programs. It is because of so many community partners that the exceptional work in the district continues to get done.

Thank you for your continued support of the school district. I look forward to meeting so many of you this summer and in the fall when the school year resumes.

Rick Thompson

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