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Washougal superintendent adds to workload

She now holds same job in the tiny Mount Pleasant School District

By Marissa Harshman, Columbian Health Reporter
Published: October 4, 2010, 12:00am

This school year, Teresa Baldwin holds the title of superintendent in two school districts.

Baldwin has worked as the Washougal School District superintendent since 2006. And this summer, she was hired as the part-time superintendent of the Mount Pleasant School District.

Mount Pleasant’s lone school has only a fraction of the number of students in one of Washougal’s elementary schools. The school is in Skamania County but has a Washougal address, 152 Marble Road. The school has 62 children in kindergarten through sixth grade and a staff of six: four teachers, one secretary and one person who serves as the custodian, bus driver and lunchroom aide. Baldwin’s contract is for one year; she will earn $30,000.

“It’s just a wonderful small school in a supportive community,” Baldwin said.

In taking the position, Baldwin will use 25 of her vacation days from Washougal and devote the time to her duties at Mount Pleasant. That amounts to five hours per week for 40 weeks. Baldwin said she goes out to Mount Pleasant for 2.5 hours two days each week to visit classrooms, meet with parents and prepare for board meetings. She volunteers her nights for board meetings and school events.

Even though she’s taken on extra responsibilities, Baldwin said she is not concerned about her new role interfering with her job as Washougal’s superintendent. The position is far less demanding because of the size of the school district and the fact that many issues that come before the school board run parallel to issues in Washougal, she said.

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The Washougal school board approved Baldwin taking the position since she is using vacation days.

Focus on finances

Baldwin said her main priority as Mount Pleasant superintendent is to help the district with long-term planning for financial stability.

“One reason I’m here is to help them become financially independent, if possible, because they’ve always relied on federal forest funds,” Baldwin said.

Every school district in Skamania County receives federal forest funds to support schools. Under the Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act, the federal funds will be discontinued at the end of the 2011-12 school year unless Congress reauthorizes the bill.

The district, like many other districts receiving the federal money, does not have an operations levy. In November 2008, Mount Pleasant voters rejected a levy request by 22 percentage points. But district officials may have to try again.

“The board is deliberating on whether or not a levy is feasible in this small community, and if not, what other options are available,” Baldwin said.

The Mill A School District has announced it will ask voters to support a levy as soon as February, and the Stevenson-Carson School District plans to seek a levy in 2012.

Despite the small district’s funding concerns, school board members from both the Washougal and Mount Pleasant districts are not interested in consolidating the two districts, Baldwin said.

Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.

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Columbian Health Reporter