A message from the Superintendent

August 17, 2011

Good afternoon,

With three weeks left until our students return to school, I hope you have been able to take some time off and enjoy the summer.

Today I am pleased to announce several appointments and leadership changes in our District for the start of the 2011-12 school year. Also attached is an updated organizational chart, reflecting these and other departmental changes. This organizational chart will be posted online and I hope you and our students, families and community find it helpful. In an effort to be more accessible, we have included contact information for District leaders on the organizational chart, and you can find detailed contact information on our Departments web page. I am also attaching a recap of our recent school-based appointments for the 2011-12 school year.

I am pleased to announce that Noel Treat, formerly General Counsel, will be assuming the position of Deputy Superintendent on a permanent basis. As many of you know, Noel has been functioning as the Interim Deputy Superintendent since the beginning of summer. As Deputy Superintendent, Noel will assist in meeting the demands of successfully operating a District of our size and instituting appropriate cross-departmental initiatives. He and I will be responsible for leadership and management of the District’s internal operations, and for creating a culture of high expectations and collaboration to be responsive to the needs of schools and families. Noel will also oversee the Office of the General Counsel and Human Resources Department.
 
In a system of our size and complexity, it is essential to have a strong leadership team—no one person can, or should, attempt to do it all. I remain committed to building the best team that will provide the service and support our staff and students need. I am renaming my leadership team the Superintendent’s Cabinet and this group will meet every week to ensure we are all working together, across the district, in pursuing our shared mission and vision of ensuring that every student graduates from Seattle Public Schools ready for college, career and life.

Members of the Cabinet include: Noel Treat, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Cathy Thompson, Assistant Superintendent for Operations Pegi McEvoy, Interim Assistant Superintendent for Business & Finance Bob Boesche, Executive Director for Partnerships, Policy & Strategic Communications Holly Ferguson, Executive Director of Finance Duggan Harman and Chief Communications Officer Lesley Rogers. We are searching for a permanent Assistant Superintendent for Business & Finance, and I want to thank Bob Boesche for his outstanding leadership in the interim role.

For the 2011-12 school year we are focusing on great principals, great teachers, connected families and a central office that supports students and schools. We are a teaching and learning organization and this new structure and Cabinet-level title changes reflect our mission. Whether you work in schools or in central office, you have a direct impact on the quality of teaching and learning in our schools. I want to thank you all for your continued dedication to our students.

Also today, I am announcing:
 
• Pegi McEvoy is our new Assistant Superintendent for Operations. She stepped up this spring and served in the interim role, and she has become a valuable member of the Superintendent’s Cabinet. With more than 25 years of experience at Seattle Public Schools, Pegi has a deep understanding of our District as a whole, and has previously served in roles such as a School Nurse, Manager of Safety and Security and Executive Director of Coordinated School Health. She continues to serve on several state and national committees and speaks nationally on topics related to safe and healthy schools and supportive school climates such as school emergency management, pandemic influenza, playground safety, bullying, youth violence, threat assessment and adult sexual misconduct.

• Holly Ferguson is now the Executive Director of Partnerships, Policy & Strategic Communications. I am bringing together our family partnerships, community partnerships, communications, policy and government relations work under Holly. She has been with the district for nearly 10 years, beginning with positions in the General Counsel’s office and most recently as Director of Policy & Government Relations. This new department will work together to ensure that these interrelated strands of work complement each other and help move the district further toward our shared mission and vision.

• Paul Apostle, our Interim Executive Director of Human Resources, has agreed to stay for the 2011-12 school year. Paul is committed to ensuring that the Human Resources Department effectively supports our schools and staff. He and the Human Resources team are making progress, and I believe that continuity of leadership is critical to maintain this momentum.

I want to assure you that these leadership changes reflect a net neutral cost to our central administration budget, which we have reduced from more than 9 percent of our overall budget several years ago to its current level at just under 6 percent. It is my goal to continue creating a lean, efficient central office that serves our students and schools, and that starts with a strong central administration.

I appreciate your hard work and dedication to our students and families. As always, please feel free to contact me with questions or ideas. It is going to be a great year for Seattle Public Schools!

Sincerely,


Susan
Susan Enfield, Ed.D.
Interim Superintendent
Seattle Public Schools

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