Fresh Goals Increased And Improved Communication First On The List Of Jeff Miller’S Projects

Jeff Miller knows what he wants people to say about him after his first year as East Valley High School principal:

“Boy, he’s tall!” Miller joked this week. At 6-foot 8-inches, his head barely clears the door frames at the school where he has been vice principal for five years.

School board members officially approved him as EVHS principal Tuesday.

Speaking more seriously, the Eastern Washington University graduate said he wants to focus on communication this year.

First, he wants to improve communications within the building. That includes cutting unnecessary staff meetings, creating a daily printed teacher’s bulletin and meeting with small teams of people to discuss activities and concerns.

“My second goal is to increase communication with the community,” said Miller, 38.

He would like to get more parents involved at the high school in things like the booster club, school committees and even as guest speakers in classes.

He’s also interested in exploring what can be done with the school’s phone system. He is interested setting up a 24-hour information line which parents could call for information on school activities and learn, for example, what time a bus is due back from a football game.

The phone system could even include a homework hot line or voice mail so teachers could get detailed spoken messages from parents instead of the traditional message slips in their mailboxes, he said.

The new electronic reader board the school is getting will help reach the community, as well as the district newsletter, he said.

Miller takes over the school as it continues to grow. This is the first year that every room will be used, he said, and some teachers may have to be mobile, moving between shared classrooms.

He’s not nervous about filling the job left open when Don Kartevold retired this spring after 15 years as principal. But he knows what challenges are ahead before the first bell rings Sept. 7.

“It’s almost scary because I know how many things have to happen to get things ready,” Miller said while sitting in an office borrowed from a school counselor. The carpets were being cleaned in his office while furniture sat stacked in the hall.

Miller has to do both his new job and his old job until another person can be hired. The vice principal’s job Miller is vacating will turn into an administrative assistant position for one year and then will reopen as a vice principal’s slot.

The assistant’s job should be filled by someone in the district by Thursday. Then the district will have enough time to fill the position vacated by that person.

Miller draws heaps of praise from people with whom he has worked, both in and out of the district.

“He’s got great vision and a good understanding of where schools need to go,” said Rich McBride, superintendent of the Newport School District.

McBride was superintendent of the tiny Harrington School District in Lincoln County where Miller worked from 1986 to 1989.

“We hired Jeff because we were looking for a people person,” McBride said. Miller was the K-12 principal, athletic director, student body advisor and activity coordinator.

He knew how to help teachers grow, McBride said.

“That’s something that’s desperately needed: administrators who can be partners with teachers,” he said. “He’s just a great young administrator.”

East Valley Superintendent Chuck Stocker has equal faith.

“I think Jeff Miller is going to do a fine job as principal,” Stocker said. He knows the staff, students and the community. He also has good leadership skills, Stocker said.

“He’s going to bring a different style of leadership,” he said.

People will notice the new principal’s sincerity, McBride said. “One thing the parents will appreciate about Jeff is he has real genuineness,” he said.

Although he’d like to stay five to 10 years at EVHS, Miller does have his superintendent’s credentials and plans to continue his education.

“You can kind of lose contact with the trends in education if you don’t continue to educate yourself,” he said.

What he really hopes people will say about him next spring is that he has made positive changes during the year, and that the school has met student needs.

“It’s our job first to meet their needs.”