GRANITE FALLS — Superintendent Karen Koschak left the Granite Falls Administrative Center with her clipboard in hand Wednesday afternoon.
That’s her typical exit when she’s on her way to evaluate a teacher in the Granite Falls School District. During her visit to different schools and classr
ooms throughout the district, she observes principals, teachers and students to give feedback about what she sees and hears.
The evaluations are just one way that Koschak, who plans to retire in June, has worked to improve instruction in the district over the past three years.
“She has always been extremely supportive, and she’s not at all threatening,” said Stefanie Reistad-Schwartz, an English teacher at Granite Falls High School. “She’s just really helped honor the work the teachers have done.”
Koschak, 64, began the district’s Rock Solid Instruction program as a tool to increase student achievement in the district after she was hired in 2008. It’s one program she said she’d like to volunteer for if needed after she officially retires on June 30.
“My heart is still so much in this,” Koschak said. “I know that there will never be a time when I won’t have my fingers in education.”
Koschak announced her plan to retire on Feb. 10 in a letter addressed to members of the school board, staff and the Granite Falls community.
Her decision, she said, is part of a desire to spend more time with family, including two new grandchildren, and to travel and volunteer.
Koschak retired from her position as the superintendent of the Aberdeen School District in 2001 and spent several years teaching children in a small impoverished community on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico before learning about the open superintendent position in Granite Falls.
During her tenure as superintendent in Granite Falls, Koschak focused on the district’s teaching curriculum, working with teams to align the math curriculum with state standards and formed a donation drive to help pay for new math books when the district didn’t have enough money to buy them.
Her efforts have helped the district, according to Kari Henderson-Burke, principal at Monte Cristo Elementary School.
“Our instructional focus has improved every year since she’s been here,” Henderson-Burke said. “I think Karen is a person who makes things happen wherever she goes.”
The Granite Falls School Board will conduct its own search for a new superintendent to save money for curriculum development, according to district spokeswoman Kathy Grant. Hiring an outside consultant would cost up to $20,000.
The district is planning a community forum to gather input for its search at 6 p.m. on Feb. 28 at the Granite Falls High School. An online survey was also created to help determine the characteristics people would like the new superintendent to have.
“We’re in the information gathering stage at this point,” said Rebecca Loney, school board president. “We feel very strongly we need to get input from our school district staff and community.”
The position should officially be posted on March 14 and close on April 22, Grant said. In mid-May the district plans to invite staff and the community to meet with each finalist. A final decision could be announced at the end of May.
Amy Daybert: 425-339-3491; adaybert@heraldnet.com.
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