Superintendent Candidate Vows to Continue District's Record of Success

knows her way around Lake Washington schools, having spent 17 years as a teacher, principal and administrator in the district. On Tuesday, she talked about the strengths and the challenges ahead for the district that she hopes to lead as superintendent.

Pierce, whom Lake Washington School District board members have chosen as their candidate to take over the top job, spoke to parents and city and district officials at , with remarks that sounded more like a district update than a candidate introduction.

And that was just fine with the audience.

Kirkland's Jackie Pendergrass, school board president, said one of the main reasons the board selected Pierce was because she could easily continue several initiatives the district has already begun, such as the change to four-year high schools and three-year middle schools this fall.

"We do have a busy, busy next year," Pendergrass said. "We feel that continuity is very critical."

Pierce, currently deputy superintendent of instructional services, began her career as a language arts and social studies teacher at Inglewood Junior High School. She has a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Washington. (Click here to read her bio on the LWSD website.)

"We do have challenges ahead, and probably our most significant challenge at this time is our state budget," Pierce said, adding that she is hopeful regarding education funding will set a new tone in this year's legislative session.

Pierce also emphasized her commitment to education equity, saying she believes the district's mission of "every student future ready" is fundamentally about providing quality instruction to all students.

"I think that ensuring we have strong schools helps ensure we have strong communities," she said.

About 25 people attended the informal meet-and-greet, and Pierce spoke individually with attendees before and after her remarks.

Nicole Mackenzie, a Kirkland parent who has two children at Peter Kirk Elementary, said she was impressed with the one-on-one interaction she had with Pierce during the meeting.

"She's willing to listen and seems to be hearing what people are saying, so that's good," Mackenzie said.

Redmond Mayor John Marchione, who attended along with all the members of the Redmond City Council, said he is pleased with the direction LWSD is heading but also said it's important for the community to provide feedback during the superintendent selection process.

"People choose the school district first and the city second, so having a great school district is important to all the elected officials of Redmond," Marchione said.

The district will hold three additional community meetings with Pierce next week. Click here for the complete schedule.

Parents and other members of the community can submit their feedback regarding Pierce by following this link. The deadline is Jan. 22.

The board could choose a superintendent as soon as Jan. 30.