MSD interviews superintendent finalists

The Marysville and Tulalip community heard from the three finalist superintendent candidates for the Marysville School District on Feb. 14.

Two of the candidates have already toured the district, while the final candidate, who currently works at the Al-Bayan International School in Kuwait, is scheduled to tour on Feb. 25.

The school board plans to name the new superintendent sometime after that date.

The first candidate, Margaret “Peggy” Aune, is the chief innovation officer for the Learning Education Foundation in Naples, Florida.

In the past she has served as an associate superintendent for teaching and learning, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, principal and special education teacher.

She has helped to implement systems to improve the emotional well-being of students.

“If a student has experienced trauma or something significant in their life and it came under attention of a psychologist or a principal, they were able to put on the student information system,” said Aune.

Another program implemented a "buddy area" on campus which provided a place anybody could come to play a game during recess.

At her schools she has also tried to implement programs for students with disabilities.

“Some of the work I did that I’m proud of that was done as part of a collaborative team is working with students having significant disabilities providing transitional workplaces and gaining skills to really achieve their goals,” she said.

The second candidate is Zachary Robbins, who is currently a principal in Cheyenne High School in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Formerly he has served as a principal, assistant principal and secondary English teacher and has experience in higher education at the University of Phoenix and Lesley University.

Robbins said that schools have to listen to their students and create places where the students are glad to be.

“Kids will work for people they like in places they like,” he said. “If we create environments where kids want to be, they will perform well. That is a fact."

Students with disabilities need a variety of support, including receiving an appropriate education and having staff with behavior intervention plans in place.

“I believe that every student deserves a high quality education and that we should meet students where they are,” said Robbins. “We have to make sure that we’re having the conversation in our district to make sure people know that’s our job."

The final candidate, Zak Palsha, is currently the director/superintendent of the Al-Bayan International School in Kuwait.

His experience began in Washington in school districts such as Tukwila, Renton and Central Kitsap, before he moved abroad in 2014.

If given the Marysville position he hoped that he could hold a monthly superintendent chat with the community.

“Making sure that I’m accessible and that I’m in schools,” said Palsha.

He believes that schools need to work with community organizations to help students.

“Being able to partner with other entities and get them into the schools is something that would be an asset I would be able to bring,” he said.“I don’t think schools can be successful without a parent partnership."

Special education is also something the school district needs to do well, he said.

“I know that special ed is not fully funded so we have to look at creative ways to make sure kids with special needs have their education needs met,” he said.