Keane wins statewide honor

At a recent meeting of Idaho school superintendents, Post Falls’ Jerry Keane stood to leave, needing to pick up some colleagues at the airport.

That’s when the executive director of the Idaho School Superintendents’ Association stopped him. Turns out, the ISSA had something special in mind: They named Keane as Idaho’s Superintendent of the Year.

Keane’s reaction? Pleased, of course. Surprised. Humbled.

“I will say there seem to be a lot of deserving candidates,” Keane said. “Some of these folks, I think, ‘I can’t even carry their briefcase.’ ”

Keane, who has been Post Falls superintendent since 2001, was nominated for the honor by the employees of the district office. Becky Ford, assistant superintendent throughout Keane’s tenure, said the honor is well-deserved.

“The biggest thing for me is his true focus is on students and their achievements,” Ford said. “He’s not afraid to got out and read to kindergartners. He’s not afraid to ask high school students what we can do better. He’s hands-on. He gets in the classroom.”

In fact, he makes it a point to get into the classroom.

“One of the things about being superintendent is that you don’t have kids,” as a classroom teacher does, he said. “I try to make it so I can make connection with kids. … It’s good for me and it’s good to know what the students are thinking.”

Keane started in the classroom; he was first hired by the Post Falls School District in 1978 as a high school teacher. He later became an assistant principal and principal before moving to the district office in 1990 as assistant superintendent. It’s been a great relationship, Keane said.

“It’s been one of those deals where it just kind of happened,” he said of his long tenure in Post Falls. “I fit in the community and the community seemed OK with me. It’s been a tremendous opportunity to serve Post Falls and its children.”

He also makes a point to serve a larger constituency, as well. He’s been active in education at the statewide level since he moved into administration and served as the ISSA president in 2005. He currently serves on the board of the Northwest Regional Educational Lab.

In looking back, Keane and his staff can point to a number of recent accomplishments. Construction of an eight-room addition at Post Falls High School and the new West Ridge Elementary are among them. For Keane, one accomplishment stands out.

“One thing this year we’ve been very pleased with is the standardized test results for children of color have improved,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of success in a lot of areas, but we still have a lot of work to do.”

Challenges remain: Making the most of taxpayer dollars; dealing with continued enrollment growth, and the facilities issues that come with it; striking a balance between state and federal mandates; and the need to provide a well-rounded educational experience.

“I work for a board of trustees,” he said, “that believes in maintaining that balance and not succumbing to the pressures of ‘the test.’ ”

Keane will officially receive his award during the January meeting of the Idaho School Superintendents’ Association. As the winner, he’ll represent the state next year at the national superintendents’ gathering in San Francisco in February.

“Any award I get is a tribute to the folks who make this district a success,” Keane said, referring to the district’s faculty and staff. “I have the greatest job in the world.”

His district office cohorts seem to agree.

“It’s easy to say nice things about him,” Ford said, praising his love of learning, his trust in his staff and his communication skills. And while he works as hard as anyone on his staff, Ford said Keane doesn’t let work consume him.

“His values for his family and education are well balanced,” she said. “He places his family at No. 1, and I think that’s important.”