This spring and summer for Evergreen Public Schools Superintendent John Deeder have and will continue to be, like for the district’s students, full of lasts.
Last school board meeting. Last classroom visit. Last school assembly. And finally, the last day of school.
Deeder, 70, will retire this summer after 48 years in education, 11 of those as the district’s superintendent. His last day is July 31, and Deputy Superintendent John Steach will step into his position Aug. 1. Deeder’s final salary, including base and annuity, was $272,226, while Steach’s base salary is $230,000, according to their contracts.
The longtime leader in local education has made a mark on Clark County’s largest school district — the fifth largest in the state. Community leaders have praised Deeder for his commitment to supporting families in poverty, facilitating job training programs and leading the district through $26.3 million in budget cuts during the height of the Great Recession.
“His energy has created a pipeline of successful students who are well rounded and ready to launch their careers,” said school board President Victoria Bradford at a recent celebration event honoring Deeder. “He has served our community well.”
Deeder’s career began as a sixth grade teacher. He went on to become a counselor, coach, principal, instructional leader and assistant superintendent in Oregon school districts. He joined Evergreen 15 years ago as the director of curriculum and instruction and worked in several administrative positions before being appointed superintendent in 2006.
“Once I was lucky enough to get a job, it just seemed to me every year I got more passionate about working with kids, working for kids,” he said. “Knowing that you are making a difference in kids’ lives has always been important to me.”
Among Deeder’s proudest contributions to the district has been his support of student equity and eliminating barriers for low-income families. Since May 2006, the district’s rate of students who receive free- and reduced-priced lunch has increased from 34.9 percent to 47 percent.
Most recently, the district announced it would cover school supplies for 11,000 preschool through fifth-grade students, and waived fees for sports, performing arts and classes for middle and high school students. Deeder said he heard from families who, in some cases, saved as much as $500 by not having to pay the fees.
“I’ve had parents tell me I could pay the light bill that month,” Deeder said. “Those kinds of things make a huge difference.”
Working in schools was always the plan for Deeder. But for Steach, 53, his entry into schools came later in life. Steach, a former engineer, worked at Hanford Nuclear Site for 17 years. It was in Richland, when his wife got into a spat with a school board member, that his career in schools launched. When she was advocating for before- and after-school childcare for working families, the school board member told Steach’s wife that women should be at home with their children.
It was then that Steach decided to run for school board.
“Halfway through my second term, I really fell in love with education,” he said. “I saw the difference that people were making in kids’ lives and the opportunity to make an impact on our society.”
Steach pursued a doctorate in education, and went on to hold administrative roles at school districts, including deputy superintendent of the Richland School District and superintendent of the Canby School District in Oregon.
Steach said his work outside of education brings a fresh perspective to school policy.
“When I talk about getting outside of the box, a lot of the times I like to throw the box away,” Steach said. “If we could build something brand new, what would that be?”
The district will face hurdles under Steach’s leadership, including grappling with whatever the Legislature does — or doesn’t do — to comply with the McCleary state Supreme Court decision ruling requiring the state to fully fund basic education, as well as championing a bond measure to replace the district’s aging facilities. The district also plans to make changes to how it disciplines students next year, backing away from suspending students and working to support students who may be acting out due to trauma or other hardships in their lives.
But Steach is looking forward to taking on the new challenges.
“It’s a privilege and an honor to be entrusted and be able to support the students, the community, the staff and the parents of this school district,” he said.
