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North Idaho School Districts Ready to Pass Leadership Torch

Posted on: Monday, 6 February 2006, 12:00 CST

By Rasha Madkour, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Feb. 6--North Idaho is losing three of its school superintendents at the end of the school year in June.

The top administrators at the Lake Pend Oreille, West Bonner and Kellogg districts are stepping down to retire or work in another state.

The districts educate more than 7,000 students in all â€" almost a fourth of North Idaho's K-12 population.

Lake Pend Oreille

"It's time for another person to come in and take it to the next level," said Mark Berryhill, who's stepping down as superintendent of the Lake Pend Oreille District in the Sandpoint area.

Berryhill, 60, has worked in the district 33 years â€" first as an elementary school teacher and principal, then as superintendent the last four years.

He came into the top administrative role at a time when the district was switching from being run on a business model to running on an education model. His first priority was to build trust with the community and staff, "bring some calm to our district and move it forward academically," Berryhill said. "I think we've made great strides along that line."

The district has increased the number of students defined by the state as proficient in reading, math and language. It's on more solid ground financially than in the past â€" a result, Berryhill said, of prioritizing spending to focus on student learning.

"Sometimes you can get caught up in the periphery of things that do matter but aren't as high a priority as student learning," he said.

In his tenure as a teacher and administrator, Berryhill said the biggest change in education has been the federal government's involvement in schools; namely, the No Child Left Behind Act. Berryhill believes the legislation was needed but that it needs to be tweaked. The bar for achievement should be set high, Berryhill said, but it should also be attainable and realistic.

The Lake Pend Oreille School Board is interviewing applicants and expects to select a replacement by the beginning of March.

"My biggest advice is to listen to the professionals that are currently on staff," Berryhill said, "and I'd say to keep collaboration in the forefront."

West Bonner County

At the West Bonner County District, in the Priest River area, Tony Feldhausen is also retiring.

Feldhausen, 60, has worked in education for 40 years, the last third of which were in North Idaho. He was an elementary school principal in the district for 11 years and has been the superintendent for two years.

"I've enjoyed it," Feldhausen said. The West Bonner district is small enough â€" 1,548 students â€" that Feldhausen felt he could spend a good amount of time in the schools.

His biggest accomplishments include balancing the budget in one of the lowest-taxed districts at a time of increasing costs. He had to cut $250,000 in programs and staff in order to do that.

Another contribution was his role in helping the district meet all goals of the No Child Left Behind Act for the first time last year.

In his time as an educator, Feldhausen said he has seen changes in society being reflected in schools. When he first started, parents expected their children to behave, learn and do their work at school. Now, some parents expect teachers to motivate their children.

The pace of life has quickened, so that children are considered "behind" if they don't attend preschool. Kindergarten, historically a social setting, has become educational.

"The part I will miss most is the kids," Feldhausen said. "Kids keep you young and keep the challenge fresh."

The school board is accepting applications until mid-February and expects to make a selection by March.

Kellogg Joint District

Greg Godwin, superintendent of the Kellogg Joint District, has spent all 35 of his teaching years in North Idaho, including stints at the Lakeland and Kootenai districts.

At 56, Godwin said he has reached the Idaho retirement age and is looking for additional challenges in a job he enjoys. So, after nine years as superintendent in Kellogg, he has submitted applications to districts in Washington, Montana and Oregon.

In his time at the helm in Kellogg, the district has increased its lagging scores for special education middle schoolers. It has aligned its curriculum with the state standards. It supervised the passage of two successful building bonds.

The district was challenged with declining enrollment and stagnant state funding in the face of increased state requirements that required more staff.

Godwin sees challenges for the district in the anticipated increase in enrollment, because of the economic growth in the Silver Valley and in the continuing struggle to meet the demands of No Child Left Behind.

His advice to his successor is to be active in the community "and be an expert listener." Good communication and goodwill with Kellogg residents need to be continued and fostered, Godwin said.

The school board is interviewing candidates and expects to select one later this month.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

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Source: The Spokesman-Review

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