PORT ANGELES — Michelle Olsen was sworn in as the next superintendent for the Port Angeles School District by Clallam County Superior Court Judge Brent Basden during the board of directors meeting at Lincoln Center.
Olsen, the district’s former assistant superintendent, takes over from Marty Brewer, whose retirement ceremony took place before the meeting on Thursday.
“The board’s decision to hire Michelle Olsen as the next superintendent is a phenomenal decision,” Brewer said. “Over the past five years, she has shown the loyalty, the dedication, the commitment to students, the willingness to work to resolve issues and celebrate success in a way that we would want to carry out the work moving forward.”
Among that work is leading a path toward the potential renaming of Stevens Middle School and guiding the district through its continuing budget challenges.
Stevens will be torn down and replaced with a new building scheduled to open for the 2027-2028 school year with grades six through eight.
It became a middle school in name only in 2007 when it dropped sixth grade and enrolled just seventh- and eighth-graders. That same year, Roosevelt Middle School transitioned to an elementary school that went up to sixth grade. The unpopular realignment was made due to declining district enrollment.
A naming committee composed of district staff, community members and representatives from the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe deliberated on potential names before presenting the board with four to consider: Hurricane Ridge Middle School, Riverstone Middle School, Elwha River Middle School and Port Angeles Middle School.
While the board has the authority to change the name, it is under no obligation to do so, President Sarah Methner said.
“This is not a done deal, but it’s a conversation worthwhile to have,” she said. “This is a new school, it isn’t the same school.”
The board will discuss renaming Stevens at its July 24 meeting, and that will give the public an opportunity to provide feedback. It plans to make a decision in August.
Choosing a new name would not have a financial impact on the district, Brewer said.
Rationale for the relevancy of each potential name, their attributes and potential drawbacks can be found at tinyurl.com/stjc56rp. The district’s policy covering the naming of school facilities, teams and logos can be found at tinyurl.com/3mvxjbe4.
Olsen assumes leadership of the district at a time when it will see three new schools open by 2029 (Stevens, Franklin Elementary School and Port Angeles High School).
Concurrently, it is feeling financial strain due declining enrollment, state cuts to education and uncertain federal support.
Paying for special education will continue to be a concern, even though the Legislature this spring removed the 16 percent enrollment cap that limited the amount of funding districts could receive.
Karen Casey, the school district’s director of business and operations, explained that eliminating the cap comes with restrictions on how districts cover the cost of special education that still leaves them with having to cover the difference between what the state pays and what it actually costs to educate students who qualify for support. In Port Angeles’ case, that is 20 percent of students.
Districts like Port Angeles previously used educational programs and operations levy (EP&O) funds for special education, but that was no longer allowed. So, the district will have to find another way to fill a funding gap that still exists.
Director Sandy Long said people need to be disabused of the belief that the state has finally started fully funding special education.
“I want the public to understand that we are not having full funding of special education,” she said.
Casey noted that there is some good news when it comes to state funding. The district anticipates a $262,000 increase in materials, supplies and operating costs, and no cuts to the popular transition to kindergarten program, although its funding has historically not been enough to cover its cost.
Federal Title II and Title IV funds, which support professional development and support educational programs and improve the use of technology in classrooms, respectively, are anticipated to be cut about 70 percent, Casey said.
The USDA is expected to reduce support for school food programs by 10 percent to 20 percent. Casey said it is uncertain if the state will continue to cover the gap between USDA funding and the actual meal costs, if the federal government continues its cutbacks. If it doesn’t, the school district would have to find a way to cover those additional costs.
The administration is expected to maintain the current funding level for Carl D. Perkins federal grants, which are a key source for career and technical education programs, she said.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
