As Superintendent Edward Lee Vargas steps down from his position, he’ll have left some powerful marks on the Kent School District.
Vargas is considered responsible for the creation of pivotal programs in the school district such as PASA (Parent Academy for Student Achievement) and iGrad (Individualized Graduation and Diploma). He’s credited with making the district more transparent. At the same time, Vargas has weathered several controversies, including the teachers’ strike in 2009 and most recently a union complaint against Mill Creek Middle School.
Vargas stepped down in October to accept a job as executive vice president of AVID, a national nonprofit college readiness program. He soon will begin working full time in California.
Tony Apostle, retired Puyallup School District superintendent, is serving as Kent’s interim superintendent until Vargas’ successor can be found.
Vargas’ colleagues on the school board support him and wish him well, noting that his presence and understanding of larger themes in the district were instrumental in focusing the district’s priorities. While Vargas declined an interview with the Kent Reporter, some of his colleagues at the school board spoke about his achievements.
Board member Agda Burchard said that Vargas’ leadership helped focus on programs needed to cut the dropout and crime rates on campuses. While he may not have started the programs himself, she said, “(Vargas) provided the energy to start and got other people excited through his leadership.”
Also instrumental was Vargas’ tailoring of the districts internal programs such as public relations and budgeting.
“He really did implement a number of systems and processes — not to sound too vague or too global — but there were a lot of things that needed to be set in motion with budget, human resources and community engagement,” said board member Russ Hanscom. “He brought some huge talent with him.”
Hanscom said the district has become far more transparent under Vargas’ leadership, winning recognition on the state level for its open reporting of funding.
“I think we’re very transparent, personally,” Hanscom said. “He was never one to brush things under the carpet.”
While citizens have looked at Vargas’ position and large compensation package with skepticism, Hanscom defended his role as a keystone in the district.
“(The school district) is a business, and every business, in my opinion, needs a really strong CEO,” Hanscom said.
Board president Debbie Strauss also stressed Vargas’ accomplishments in creating a system of executives and school improvement officers that could run independently of his input.
“It’s allowed him to help build some of those other partnerships with business and community leaders,” Strauss emphasized.
As the board looks for a new superintendent, Strauss, Burchard and Hanscom emphasized the importance of the new superintendent to be in close communication with the school board and also be aware and proactive in correcting problems in the district.
“One of the things I’ve learned from observing the board and Dr. Vargas,” said Burchard, “is the importance of communication — two directional communication. It’s really critical for the board to have good communication with the superintendent and the superintendent to have that with the board.”
“A lot of it is relationships,” Strauss said. “You’ve gotta build relationships.”
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