PORT TOWNSEND — The new superintendent of the Port Townsend School District is on the job but plans to spend the next few weeks familiarizing himself with the district.
“I need to take some time to learn about the place and figure out where we are starting from,” said David Engle, whose first day was Monday.
Engle replaces Gene Laes, who served as superintendent for two years.
Engle said two immediate issues will be implementing a district-wide technology plan and re-establishing competitive sports at Blue Heron Middle School.
This school year is one of change for the district: Along with Engle, other new faces include the principals at Blue Heron and Grant Street Elementary School.
Teacher Mary Sepler was promoted to head of Grant Street, while Diane Lachinsky, most recently of Durango, Colo., will arrive at Blue Heron in the next few weeks.
Engle, 63, was recently the superintendent of the North Platte, Neb., school system.
He is earning $125,000 a year, essentially the same salary level as Laes, who was earning $100,000 for a four-fifths position.
Engle has a three-year contract and said he expects to stay in the district for five to seven years.
While the board sets the district’s agenda, Engle has four goals: developing and restoring facilities; incorporating technology; migrating into an effective digital system; and finding ways for students to better interact with the community.
A fifth goal, which Engle calls an “umbrella” over the other four, is sustainability — developing ways for improvements to keep going after his tenure.
Engle said adults often complain about children’s lack of literacy but said that today’s students can read and write as well as any other generation.
“There is a quote from Socrates that says the youth of his time wasn’t as literate as it should be,” he said.
“As a society we don’t value good intellectual work, so kids see that and say, ‘Why bother?’
“We need to create a system that respects [literacy] and raises it to a higher level, and kids will respond,” he said.
“It is as much our responsibility to do this as it is theirs.”
Engle expects to maintain a high local visibility.
“I’m a hands-on leader who is committed to student learning, and I try to organize my life around that,” he said.
“We will create some great schools and opportunities for kids here.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
