POULSBO — David Gray said his professional traits would make him a good fit for superintendent of the North Kitsap School District.
“I’ll be honest with you, I’ve applied [for the position] in other school districts as well,” Gray said Wednesday night. “When I look at the strengths and maybe some of the weaknesses — or issues — in the North Kitsap School District, I feel like I have a good skill-set match.”
Gray, assistant superintendent of the Battle Ground School District, has held two superintendent positions, a regional manager position, and has been a principal and teacher. He began teaching in 1986.
Another reason to apply to NKSD: “We like the area,” he said of he and his wife. “We’ve come up here a few times.”
Gray was the final of three candidates to tour NKSD and answer questions from the community Wednesday.
During his time in Battle Ground, which has had a triple-levy failure in the recent past, Gray said he’s helped find creative ways to save money. This includes asking staff to remove any personal appliances, such as coffee makers and radios, to reducing the mileage school buses travel each day by parking school buses at schools, instead of driving them back to the bus barn twice a day.
He said programs such as the arts are important to keep because they build students’ character.
He believes the biggest challenge the district faces is declining student enrollment. The district needs to ask the question why, he said.
When it comes to technology, he said Battle Ground School Board members have iPads, and making those kinds of advancements save money in materials and staff time. He would like to see teachers podcast lessons for absent students and utilize software, such as Google Docs. Instead of fighting the use of cell phones in schools, he would like to see how smartphones could be utilized in the classroom.
If a school is closed in NKSD, the important role for the superintendent would be to help staff cultures combine if teachers move to other schools.
Schneidler said she appreciated his answer to how he would handle a school closure, in that Gray would not just help teachers and students switching schools, but the school or schools receiving more staff and students.
