Superintendent looks back at first year in district

Bill Rhoades just completed his first year in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District and his first year as a superintendent. And, although the learning curve was steep and the year was full of big changes, Rhoades said he is confident he made the right decision to run the district.

“There’s a lot of different ways to think about reflection,” Rhoades said. “One thing that held true was the quality of the people in the district.”

Rhoades said the year was filled with complexities, the biggest being the opening of two new primary schools in two different communities and changing boundaries for all of the district’s primary schools.

Those changes also involved staff shifts and student shifts.

“We’re really looking forward to the opening of the two new schools,” he said. “They are all going to be new, in many regards.”

Because the district covers both West Linn and Wilsonville, Rhoades said it is challenging to communicate, as well as receive input and feedback, from both communities.

“You have to think broadly about communication in that regard,” he said. “It becomes part of the fabric. It creates a diversity to the work of the district that most people expect and appreciate.”

Another challenge in stepping into his new role was to fill the shoes of former superintendent Roger Woehl, who served the district for 17 years.

Rhoades said he strived to maintain the already established leadership and systems in the district.

“I think we were successful in maintaining the spirit and vision of the district,” he said. “There can be some fear and trepidation when there is new leadership.”

It was the vision of the district that attracted Rhoades to West Linn-Wilsonville in the first place, and he aims to keep working toward that vision.

“I came to the district because of my appreciation of the vision, the work and the people of this district. My challenge is to think about how that vision plays out,” he said.

In the next year, Rhoades is looking to keep challenging the staff and students of the district and to bring the entire district to a higher standard.

“What I appreciate about the people in West Linn is they appreciate the challenge of being challenged and they appreciate when they see growth,” he said.

Although no particular moments stuck out as favorites for Rhoades in the last year, he said, “My personal favorite moment is when I see others work exceedingly hard at something and then have the opportunity to get fantastic results.”

Rhoades is also proud of the leadership work that occurred in all the schools this year with both staff and students, calling it the “absolute spirit of collaboration.”

Graduation this spring was another special time for Rhoades.

“The graduations were really significant, amazing culminating events. The way our kids demonstrate their appreciation and respect for the quality of the educational experience that they had in West Linn-Wilsonville was all over those ceremonies. I can’t imagine ceremonies that were more honoring.”

Building on the successes of the year, Rhoades is seeking continual improvement.

“I think we all live in that ‘How can we do better?’ mode,” he said. “You have to get started and then get better.”

Rhoades would like to broaden the district’s relationships and form partnerships in both West Linn and Wilsonville. He also looks forward to more collaboration within the district.

“What leaders want most is to get great results for their kids,” he said. “Next year, I’m looking forward to doing more thinking and practice around that. We’re ready to move to the next level of action.”

Rhoades is also looking to fill in the opportunity gaps in the district where some students have missed chances to learn and to increase access to education for all students of all abilities.

Along with the opening of the new schools next year, the district will also launch its world language program.

“That has a lot of anticipation and excitement around it,” Rhoades said.

“I think folks are just really excited about moving into next year.

“How lucky am I to work with these people in this school district and these communities?”