New Hood Canal leader wants to know your name

Like many people, Lance Gibbon did some reassessing during the pandemic, and realized he wanted a school administration job where he knew the names of all the students, which he might achieve as superintendent of the Hood Canal School District.

About 325 students were expected to show up for the first day of school yesterday.

"For me, it was an opportunity to get back to what was important, which is working more closely with students," said Gibbon, whose jobs have included elementary school music instructor, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent of the Oak Harbor School District on Whidbey Island, and superintendent of the Snoqualmie School District.

Gibbon, a native of Lynnwood and Edmonds, said he also wants to provide stability and continuity in a district that last school year saw its new superintendent, Jose-de-Jesus Melendez, resign in February after seven months on the job to return to his family in Oregon. According to the district at the time, he was to complete the remainder of his contract on administrative leave.

"I think there's a lot of opportunity to provide some stability," Gibbon said. "There's been a lot of changes and turmoil."

Gibbon's family has rented a house near Twanoh State Park. "I'm looking forward to being here for a while," he said.

With administrators regularly departing, the district hasn't had the chance to produce a long-term plan, something the school board will do this school year, Gibbon said.

The district's building is paid off, and "right now, we have the lowest tax rates in the area," he said.

In February, the district's building bond garnered 56%, short of the 60% super majority required. The district will try again with a different proposal on the Nov. 7 ballot.

The proposed $33.5-million bond includes a new early learning center, an improved and expanded playground, a building addition for middle school classes, a new building to maintain and houses school buses, and a new bus route that won't require drivers to traverse the campus to pick up kids.

The district will seek comments from residents before finalizing a proposal, Gibbon said. With the current rate, the bond would cost property owners in the district about $1.14 per $1,000 of assessed property value, he said.

Gibbon said he is excited about strengthening the relationship between the district and the Skokomish Tribe. Tribal members donated the land for the school site, and today provide three full-time tutors at the school. About half of the students are connected to the tribe, Gibbon said.

Almost one-third of the district's students attended summer school, Gibbon said. The district improved its Facebook page, and viewers can watch the films created by summer school students. The district served about 1,600 meals during the summer, Gibbon said.

The district's operating budget is $7.7 million this school year. Winter break is Dec. 20 through Jan. 2, and spring break is April 1-5. The tentative last day of the school year is June 14.