Prescott Superintendent to Leave

PRESCOTT - After serving as its "accidental" superintendent for three years, Dr. Bill Jordan announced last week he will be leaving the Prescott School District at the end of the school year.

"Our district is strong, good things are happening," Jordan said in a telephone interview. "It's a good time for someone to come in and take over this district."

Jordan, who has been universally praised for turn- ing around a school dis- trict struggling with enrollment, morale and academic achievement, announced his departure at Thursday's school board meeting.

" He will be greatly missed," said Karen Tonne, chair of the Prescott School Board, who was recently voted in for another one- year term. "We've been very lucky to have him as long as we've had him."

The search for a new su- perintendent began Friday, when district officials posted the anticipated job opening on a number of professional websites. Jordan said the screening of applicants will begin March 1.

Tonne said the goal is to have a new superintendent in place by the time school restarts late summer.

Jordan and Tonne said they're not concerned about the challenge of attracting a high-caliber replacement for the post since districts in the Touchet Val- ley have had no trouble attracting highly qualified candidates in the past.

"I know there will be someone out there and that we will find that person," Tonne said.

But there is no question Jordan leaves big shoes to fill, leaving a legacy of self-em- powerment for the district, according to Tonne. "He gave us a sense that if we worked together, we could do anything," she said. "Before Bill, we hadn't come to that realization."

A former deputy super- intendent for Walla Walla Public Schools and organi- zational consultant, Jordan, 66, joined the district as a part-time superintendent during the summer of 2010 when Prescott needed a tem- porary solution following Dr. Carolyn Marsh's resig- nation earlier that year.

Rather than rush to replace Marsh, the district's board decided to engage Jordan to head its schools as interim superintendent and help address some of its or- ganizational challenges.

"He wasn't looking for the job when we hired him," Tonne said. "But he enjoyed it so much."

When Jordan was barely a year into his position, the district's challenges reached their peak. The junior/senior high school was listed as one of 50 schools in the state with academic performance problems, the district as a whole lost 5 percent of its student body and it had to cut two staff positions.

But by that time, Jordan's presence and his vision for the district were such a relief to the board that the one-year arrangement was extended twice, giving him more time to turn things around. A newfound optimism had found its way into the school community, teachers and families said at the time.

Through academic partnerships with Vista Hermosa and Jubilee Youth Ranch that tied a portion of their academic programs to the Prescott School District, Jor- dan boosted enrollment by two thirds to 350 from 210. That gave the district more financial stability and flex- ibility, Tonne said. "We're at a good point."

Meanwhile, Prescott's student academic perfor- mance took a leap. In 2011, for the first time in its histo- ry, Prescott was recognized by six state professional educational bodies as one of Washington's most rapidly improving school districts under their "School of Distinction" designation.

In 2012, Prescott's junior/ senior high school won a Washington State Achieve- ment Award for the preced- ing year for its high graduation rate.

Generally humble about the difference he has made at the district, Jordan said one of the most important changes under his watch has been the improvement in atmosphere that allows everyone in the learning community to flourish.

"The kids feel better, the teachers feel better," he said. "The place is easy to come to, easy to study. It's a dif- ferent place. There's a joy of working and an energy that wasn't here three years ago."

Jordan said he has no specifi c plans for his time post- Prescott, though he might well reinvigorate his private leadership development and organizational manage- ment consulting practice he shelved when he joined Prescott.

"I'm open to next steps," he said.

Jordan's legacy, stream- lining and reorganization will allow the next superin- tendent to "slide right in," particularly if they come with Jordan's level of in- stitutional knowledge and teambuilding abilities.