Cheney schools chief to lead ESD

CHENEY – After five years as the superintendent of Cheney Public Schools, Michael Dunn is stepping down June 30 to become superintendent of Educational Service District 101.

District officials hope to hire a new superintendent by July 1.

“I think that Cheney has always had a very high quality district,” said Dunn, an educator for 29 years who worked for Spokane Public Schools, the Mead School District and the Ritzville School District before coming to Cheney. At ESD 101, based on Spokane’s South Hill, Dunn will oversee schools in seven counties, 59 school districts and 47 private schools, all in Eastern Washington.

Dunn said he feels that Cheney is a vibrant district, has the benefits of being diverse geographically, with rural and suburban locations, and has a staff that works hard to educate the students.

“Education, whether it is public or private, is better today than it was 29 years ago,” he said.

The district is one of the largest geographically in the region, serving students in Cheney, Airway Heights and the West Plains.

Students who attend the schools come from a variety of backgrounds. Some of their parents work in higher education, and there are students from agricultural communities and military families. There are also many students who have parents that commute to Spokane to work.

Sue Lienhard, the president of the district’s board of directors, said a new superintendent will have to have great communication skills. That person will have to cultivate a good relationship with Eastern Washington University, since the campus shares a city with the district and because Reid Elementary School, which serves students in kindergarten through the fifth grade, is owned by the university and is located on its campus.

She also hopes that the new superintendent has knowledge of state government and can develop relationships with legislators.

“Mike has done that,” she said.

Most of all, she said, a new superintendent will have to have a love of children and a concern for the progress of every child in every year of school.

The board of directors has selected some challenges and opportunities for the next superintendent and has listed them on the application. Those include “developing a facilities plan that will accommodate anticipated increases in student enrollment,” “maintain a safe school environment conducive to student learning” and “continue the district’s prudent fiscal management practices.”

Lienhard said one of the places a new superintendent will have to address increasing enrollment is Cheney Middle School. The school is at enrollment capacity now and within the next few years the district will have to ask voters for a bond to build a middle school.

The school board is collecting the wish list from the district’s staff, and held three meetings in various locations in the district to find out what the community wants in a new superintendent.

“It’s the most important job a school board has,” Lienhard said about the board’s duty to replace Dunn.

The board, which is already screening applications, hopes to pare the list to five to seven applicants. They will be interviewed by the board and the community and staff members will have an opportunity to observe those interviews. After that, the list of candidates will be whittled to two.

Lienhard also said that Dunn has been a great communicator within the district. She said he has been engaged with the board, listened to them and moved the district forward educationally.