Lake Stevens School District Update by Amy Beth Cook
Posted by Gary O'Rielly
on Jul 01, 2012
According to a comment attributed to Paul Meyer who once said, "Student achievement is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused effort." The comment was James Monroe's way of introducing Amy Beth Cook, Superintendent of Lake Stevens School District and as one member commented, probably the best Superintendent that the District has ever seen. Loyalty and longevity follow the history of the Superintendent who has served the District for 30 years in various capacities. Superintendent Cook is the fifth superintendent to lead the District in the past 67 years when the district was incorporated.
Superintendent Cook brings instructional knowledge, hands-on experience within the District and a personal leadership style that will enable the District to thrive and excel. The role of the Superintendent in her first year on the job was to shape the future leaders of our country. Lake Stevens schools are a Great Place to Learn. The Superintendent has spent a full day visiting every school in the district this past school year and has dedicated her time to be in every classroom this year as well as having lunch with students. After each visit, she followed up with a letter telling of her exciting experience she saw in each classroom.
She described the economic affect of the 2009-2010 budget reductions which amount to 82% for all staffing levels. Reductions followed in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 of a smaller proportion amounting to $1.3 million. The three year reduction has amounted to $6.1 million while student enrollment has increased by 333 students. The District has set a goal in academic achievement of being above the watermark of the state average. Lake Stevens High School had the highest on-time graduation rates in the county and the SAT scores were above the national average. College bound seniors were at the 60% level last year and they are still waiting the results for this year.
Pretty impressive first year as the Superintendent. We look forward to hearing more during the course of her Administration and getting a first hands glimps of how well our students are doing in Lake Stevens. Congratulations, Superintendent Cook.
She described the economic affect of the 2009-2010 budget reductions which amount to 82% for all staffing levels. Reductions followed in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 of a smaller proportion amounting to $1.3 million. The three year reduction has amounted to $6.1 million while student enrollment has increased by 333 students. The District has set a goal in academic achievement of being above the watermark of the state average. Lake Stevens High School had the highest on-time graduation rates in the county and the SAT scores were above the national average. College bound seniors were at the 60% level last year and they are still waiting the results for this year.
Pretty impressive first year as the Superintendent. We look forward to hearing more during the course of her Administration and getting a first hands glimps of how well our students are doing in Lake Stevens. Congratulations, Superintendent Cook.