Washougal School District Superintendent Teresa Baldwin has announced her retirement at the end of the school year after 40 years in education.
Baldwin, 63, worked as the district’s assistant superintendent for one year before becoming superintendent five years ago. She also worked for the Evergreen and Battle Ground school districts for many years and is currently serving as superintendent for Mount Pleasant School District on a one-year contract.
The Washougal school board will officially announce Baldwin’s retirement at its meeting Tuesday. Baldwin’s retirement is effective in July.
“I’ve pretty much been doing this nonstop for 40 years,” Baldwin said. “It’s really time to retire.”
Baldwin began her career in education while she was completing her master’s degree at the University of California, Los Angeles. She taught at the campus elementary school while completing her degree.
After college, Baldwin taught in the Snohomish district for nine years and then served as principal and associate principal at schools in the Vancouver and Battle Ground school districts for 16 years. She spent about 20 months in 1999 and 2000 working on a project for the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
She then took a position with the Evergreen School District from 2000-05 as director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and director of elementary and secondary education. In 2005, she moved to the Washougal School District.
Baldwin said former Superintendent Bob Donaldson laid the groundwork for many district changes. Donaldson rallied the community around his vision for new facilities and was able to get a bond passed to fund the work, she said.
In her six years at the district, Baldwin said the district has continued to move forward. High school state assessment scores are higher than the state average. And the high school offers more advanced placement courses and extracurricular activities to students.
The district has received $2 million in professional development grants in American history and physical education. When Baldwin came to Washougal, the elementary schools didn’t have physical education teachers. Now they do.
The district has also implemented a emergency call notification system, developed a new, interactive website and established a presence on social media networks. The school board has implemented policy governance and has balanced budgets during the tough economic climate.
Now, Baldwin said, it’s time to hand the reins to someone else. If a superintendent stays too long, the district runs the risk of getting stuck in neutral, she said. Generally, superintendents move on after five to six years, Baldwin said.
“We’re still a little bit on the crest of these accomplishments,” she said. “It’s probably time for me to hand it over to somebody else with new insight, new goals and new skills.”
While Baldwin has announced her retirement, she’s still focused on the remainder of this school year, she said. The district has critical budget issues to address and is working to increase achievement and professional development.
“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” Baldwin said.
The Washougal school board will work with Educational Service District 112 staff to find a replacement. At the board’s meeting Tuesday, ESD 112 staff will propose a superintendent search to begin the process. The board plans to involve the community and staff in the search process.
Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.
