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Jessica Schenck
# "She’s Not Afraid to Ask Questions!"
The first bell rings and the slamming of locker doors reverberates through the halls as kids race off to the first class of the 2025-26 school year. As they settle into their seats and turn their attention to the teacher, in an office not too far away, the new Mount Baker School District Superintendent, Jessica Schenck, is hard at work on strategies for improving the district in myriad ways.
Before I sat down with Jessica for an interview, I spoke with a couple community members who had already met her and was intrigued when one said, “She’s not afraid to ask questions!”, meaning she’s willing to ask those hard questions that put people on the spot, and she’s willing to hold them accountable.
It was a pleasure to sit down with Jessica to learn more about her and her vision and goals for the district. During the interview I was impressed with her clarity of thought, her ability to cut through to the heart of an issue, and her long-term objectives as superintendent and for the district.
Jessica’s background fits well into the culture of the MBSD. Coming from ten years working in the Sunnyside Washington school district and another ten years in the Othello WA school district as Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, as well as being a principal and STEM education director for that district, she’s accustomed to the challenges of providing good education in rural areas like ours. Perhaps most importantly, she realizes just how critical good relationships with community members are to the well-being of a school district, as well as the families and students therein.
**MA:** I started our interview by asking what led her to taking the job here:
**JS:** My professional goal is to make our education system more accessible to more students. This new role in Mount Baker allows me to keep pursuing that goal by bringing strong leadership, and being someone who has the ability to bring people together. During the interview process I fell in love with the people here, truly, and I don't say that lightly or flippantly at all. The people here care so much about their schools and their children and their community, and that really resonated with me. Also, I learned that the district recently passed a maintenance and operation levy and a capital projects levy. Both of those passed at over 60% and that was a key sign to me that this is a community that really cares even when things aren't going well.
**MA:** So what are some of your first steps in this new role?
**JS:** My first steps really are to listen and to learn. It's really easy to get into a new organization and think you have all the answers, but I want to be careful that I'm not falling into that. At the same time I know I need to provide some leadership and implement changes that will have positive impacts not just on how our schools operate, but also making them safe and healthy spaces for our students. One of the first things I've been doing this summer is working with the principals on their school improvement plans and really digging into student data. That will be a foundation for digging deeper and developing strategies and real action steps that we can put into place that will allow us to see growth in our students, whether it's in math or attendance or behaviors. We’re also going to be adding student representatives to the School Board so when we’re making policy or spending decisions, the students have a voice in that process.
**MA:** What other areas will you be focusing on these first few months?
**JS:** In addition to looking at academics, I think the other area that is a priority for me right now is continuing to strengthen our finances and evaluating the conditions of all our school facilities. As you know the district has had some financial problems and that needs to be dealt with from the start. Teachers were let go and other areas of managing the district and providing our students with good education have suffered. Another area we need to really look at are the conditions of our school facilities. We need to come up with strong preventative maintenance plans and look at our capital projects for improving facilities throughout the district. Some of our schools are newer, more modern, but others have distinctive older characteristics that I believe should be maintained because I see the pride community members take in them. Providing support for our teachers and staff across the district is another top priority for me. With more support for the people who are essential for providing our children with good educations, they will be able to more effectively do their jobs and operate as a whole team.
**MA:** You’re definitely taking a big bite there!
**JS:** Oh, that’s just the start of it! I’m also going to be providing regular reports and presentations on different things that are happening across the district in our board meetings so everyone can see the whole picture and everyone is held accountable. Accountability is what pushes us toward continuous improvement. Another big task is reviewing and revising our strategic plan which is coming up for review soon. The strategic plan is what helps guide us, helps us see progress or lack thereof, helps us see gaps and overlaps, and is generally a road map that is reviewed every few years to see if we’re on the right track.
**MA:** I’ve helped create strategic plans for small organizations, but I can’t imagine the enormity of creating one for an entire school district!
**JS:** It’ll take a while to accomplish that, but it’s a critical part of making our district run effectively, efficiently and on budget.
**MA:** Have you had much time yet with community members?
**JS:** A little bit, but I’m deeply committed to making sure we are communicating clearly with parents and the communities. They are a vital part of the education system and have their own important roles to play, but they need to know what’s happening on our side to do that.
I'm not doing this work to be just a superintendent; I'm doing this work to help improve education for the students of the Mount Baker School district. I believe I have been placed here, this is where I get to do the work that I love and I'm all in.
I’m not here because this is a stepping stone up some ladder; I want to finish out my career here. I'm really looking for a place that I can make home and where I can serve my community.
This is a district that I am blessed to be a part of and I'm looking forward to partnering with the community. I certainly hope that people are willing to reach out to me and let me know what they're thinking and allow me to be a part of the community.
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