PORT TOWNSEND — The new superintendent of Port Townsend School District plans to focus on construction of a new Grant Street elementary school and to spend the summer visiting with community groups.
John A. Polm Jr. is optimistic about the district’s future, he said on his first day on the job Friday.
“I’ve learned that Port Townsend has a community that is very committed to school success and student-centered education,” Polm said. “This is compatible with my philosophy.”
Polm, 52, earns a $125,000 annual salary.
At the end of the 2015-16 school year, Polm wrapped up six years as principal of Bremerton High School. He worked previously in Chewelah and Burbank.
He has spent the past few weeks in Port Townsend, talking with school principals and district staff about their perceptions of the district and what it needs in the near future.
One priority is administering the construction of a new Grant Street School funded by a $40.9 million bond issue approved by more than 70 percent of voters in February.
The next step is to meet with the architects, Polm said.
Another priority is funding, and Polm expects to travel to Olympia this summer and meet with legislators to discuss school funding.
Polm plans to spend the summer visiting community groups on a low-key basis. He is unaware of any planned event that will introduce him to the community.
Polm succeeds David Engle, 67, who announced his retirement in March.
The School Board decided to seek a permanent replacement instead of hiring an interim superintendent, which would have extended the process.
The board had hired Gene Laes as a two-year interim superintendent before recruiting Engle in 2012.
In May, School Board Vice Chair Jennifer James-Wilson said the district is in a stronger position than it has been in past searches for superintendent candidates.
“We have a really good idea of who we are as a district now and have a stronger identity,” she said.
“We’ve done a lot of groundwork and unifying to define what we are doing within our school walls that makes the district an attractive place to work.”
The district received 15 applications for the superintendent’s position.
Polm was one of three finalists, along with Tina L. Goar, rural liaison/rural support manager at the Colorado Department of Education, and James J. Herrholtz Jr., deputy superintendent of the Mahoning County Educational Service Center in Youngstown, Ohio.
All three participated in a process that began with board interviews May 14.
Each candidate also spent a day in the district touring facilities, meeting stakeholders and meeting the public in evening sessions.
Polm has been married for 31 years and has three grown children.
He said he plans to sell his Bremerton house and purchase property in Port Townsend.
________
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
