School Board selects NGRVSD superintendent

Following interviews of the three finalists, the Naselle-Grays River Valley School District (NGRVSD) Board of Directors selected Josh Brooks by a majority vote to be the next NGRVSD superintendent. Brooks has been the Principal at Morton Elementary School for the past 21 years. He is scheduled to begin his new position as the NGRVSD superintendent on July 1 ,2025.

The other two finalists were Mark Westley and Ralph Watkins. Westley was employed as a math teacher at Centralia Middle School for over two decades and, in addition to serving on the Centralia City Council, currently teaches at Adna High School. Watkins has served as a teacher, principal and superintendent in Alaska schools for the last 10 years and as superintendent of the Chatham School District in Southeast Alaska since 2022. Prior to his years in the Alaska education system, he taught in Oregon, Wyoming and Nevada.

“We had a really good candidate pool this time,” said School Board Chairman Bob Torppa. “Each of the three of them could have done a good job. Josh seemed to be the most familiar with the programs and the curriculum that we have at Naselle. We also liked the fact that he’s been at Morton for 21 years since we are looking for someone who will stay in the position for a while and not use it as a stepping stone in the near term. He demonstrated a good understanding of budget. While he is still in the process of getting his superintendent certificate, he has been receiving on the job training from his current superintendent and has a good understanding of the role.”

Each of the finalists underwent numerous interviews/meetings on different days, including sessions with administrative staff, students, teachers, transportation, janitorial and maintenance staff. According to Torppa, Brooks received the highest marks from the majority of those who participated in the sessions.

“We plan to have a special meeting at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 26 to get the contract signed and ratified,” said Torppa. “I believe both Josh and his wife will probably be there.”