State of the school address

Superintendent Palmer has literally been rolling up his sleeves and getting things done since taking the lead of the district in July. There are three areas of focus that keep Palmer’s attention as he prioritizes what is best for kids when thinking about the “state of the school” as a new year is set to begin this week: facilities, staffing and grants.

While it is still early in the year and Superintendent Palmer is just getting to know the personalities and talents in the district, he’s finding it’s been fun to meet people and learn about the wide array of strengths of Wahkiakum. He is learning the machine of Wahkiakum, and he is excited to meet the students and already a strong sense of the “goodness” that allows all people and parts at Wahkiakum to play a valuable role. He echoes how his experience aligns well with his task of shifting staff and students into a 4-day school week. “Any time of change or rebuilding a culture, we must build trust,” said Palmer.

Communication is key to give understanding to the “why” behind what is done as the district navigates these new waters. Palmer believes everyone deserves to be heard to build understanding. Palmer is confident in the strong staff community and is working on the goal of building transparency, trust and communication as we navigate changes this year.

The facilities are in strong need of repair and have horrible issues related to wear and tear. “There are shortfalls in education finance to help with this,” Palmer commented as the issue of a future bond is inevitable to address the need. bonds are not intended for anything outside of facilities and the district is in desperate need of support to end the vicious cycle of shortfalls to address capital expenses related to the facilities.

Lead in the water is a looming issue, however the threat has been remedied to keep children safe by blocking off affected areas. There is still a need for remediation from the state. This is just one of several issues Wahkiakum is faced with in addressing facility needs.

A new fire suppression system will be installed soon. Whenever work is done on an old building it is like peeling back the layers of an onion to find new issues. Funding for Wahkiakum building repairs comes in the form of grants and fixing old buildings is expensive. “Prioritizing the fixes is a juggling act.” In response, Palmer has been found randomly packing a drill, a bucket of tiling tools, drywall mud and sign installing equipment in the two short months he’s been on staff. When the work needs to get done he rolls up his sleeves and makes it happen, which is one way the district is saving dollars on repairs with a small maintenance and custodial staff.

The last focus on keeping the state of the school strong and moving forward is the continuum of securing grants. There are several grants in the works starting with relighting and resurfacing the track. This $1.2 million grant adds a huge benefit to the community by offering a safe public space to use.

In addition, the Career and Technical Education department is working on a grant for a two mile walking trail in the school farm forest. Learning, technology, and miscellaneous grants are also in the works for building in maintenance. Most recently, the new heating system installed in the high school made a big impact on the high school building and was completed thanks to grants.

To summarize Palmer’s feelings about the state of the school he shared, “It feels good. We have a strong staff and a team willing to do what is best for kids.”