New superintendent is all about shared leadership

WAITSBURG - Waitsburg's new school chief doesn't see himself as a "top-down" kind of administrator. Think of him as being more of a round-table man.

Woods came to Waitsburg from the East Wenatchee School District, where he served as the middle school Assistant Superintendent and Special Education Director for 900 students. He earned a bachelor's degree from Montana State University. His master's degree and principal and superintendent certifications came from Washington State University. He is also a certified Special Education teacher and director. In all, he brings a broad range of experience in education to his roles as Waitsburg Superintendent and Elementary Principal.

Woods said he had been busy getting to know Waitsburg and building a solid sense of the district's strengths and weaknesses. One of the challenges he sees is building stronger relationships and communication between elementary, middle, and high school staff.

"I've been bringing teachers in one at a time and asking them what they think Waitsburg schools do well and what they think could be better. I've learned a lot," he said. "We don't need a K-5 team, a middle school team, or a high school team," he said. "We need a K-12 team."

Woods is confident they will get there as he looks forward to the start of school on September 5, with an enrollment of nearly 300 students.

The new superintendent is aware of his strengths and what he considers his weaknesses.

"I'm not a social butterfly, nor a warm fuzzy type," Woods says with a grin.

He plans to bring a series of community-building sessions with all the district's staff during the school year to build relationships, strengthen ties, and foster a sense of teamwork. "I know I'm not the best person to lead those, so I've asked Joe and Dusty to do it."

Joe is Joe Wirtzberger, Waitsburg's new Secondary Principal and Athletic Director, and Dusty, his wife, is the new K-12 Special Education Teacher. She is the first in-house SPED teacher Waitsburg has had in four years. Previous teachers have been contracted from outside the district.

Woods describes himself as a team-builder. "I believe in shared leadership," he says. "I'm not 'the Boss.' I have all the responsibilities, and I end up making some decisions. As long as everyone's doing their jobs, I stay out of the way and let them do it. That doesn't mean I don't guide them, but I'm not a top-down kind of guy."

Woods has also identified school discipline as an area of needed improvement.

"I've changed discipline procedures to be much more black-and-white. I am a follow-through person, and there will be consequences for things. But that starts with building relationships with parents and students and communicating expectations ahead of time.

Woods lives in the district's "superintendent house" on the corner of Main and Seventh Streets in Waitsburg, with his dog, Higgy. He enjoys golfing, hiking, reading, and sightseeing, and is proud of his two daughters who attend Central Washington University.

"I always tell kids there are two kinds of people in the world," he says. "Stupid people and smart people. I tell them I'm one of the most intelligent people you'll ever meet, because I ask for help when I need it. Dumb people sit there and fail and never ask for help."