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Archive for the ‘Administration’ Category

Coupeville Schools tab new Director of Technology

Posted in Administration, tagged , , , on May 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »

One man, two school districts.

Mike Pruyne has been hired as the new Director of Technology for the Coupeville School District, pending school board approval, but he’ll split his time between Cow Town and its neighbor to the North.

That’s because he currently works for the Oak Harbor School District as their Assistant Director/Network.

Thanks to an interlocal agreement between the two districts, Pruyne will serve half time at each job.

“This arrangement gives our district access to experienced, dedicated technology leadership in a cost-effective and sustainable way — and is a great example of neighboring districts working together for the benefit of all students,” said Coupeville Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood.

Pruyne replaces Will Smith, who recently resigned after eight years on the job.

Like his predecessor, the new hire is a retired U.S. Navy veteran.

“Mike brings a wealth of experience to our community,” Leatherwood said. “He brings discipline, dedication, and deep expertise to everything he does — and we are fortunate to have him supporting our students, staff, and families.

“Mike will be working alongside our team to provide technology support across our district — from the devices and tools our students use every day to the systems that keep our schools running smoothly.

“Families can expect to hear more from Mike as he gets settled in and begins connecting with our school community.”

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“She has been leading with vision and heart”

Posted in Administration, tagged , , , , on May 8, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Becky Cays

New year, new title.

Becky Cays, who was hired as Coupeville Middle School Principal and High School/Middle School Athletic Director before the start of the 2025-2026 school year, is getting an official promotion.

She will be the new High School/Middle School Principal, in a move announced Friday by Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood.

Cays new gig becomes official once approved by the school board.

She will be the third CHS Principal in as many years, as her predecessors, Geoff Kappes and Dan Berard, were both placed on administrative leave by Leatherwood, then later resigned.

Cays has been the acting principal for both schools since Berard’s departure.

“If your student attends either school, you may already know Mrs. Cays,” Leatherwood said in a community newsletter. “She has been a steady, caring, and highly capable presence in both buildings.

“Over the past several months, Mrs. Cays stepped forward to lead both campuses at the same time.

“During that period, she has built strong leadership teams, supported students through positive behavior frameworks, ensured every teacher received a formal evaluation, and kept both schools moving forward without missing a beat.

“She did not just fill a role. She has been leading with vision and heart.”

Prior to arriving in Coupeville, Cays, who is a Washington state native, most recently worked as the K-12 Assistant Principal at the International Schools Group in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

Her education career has taken her to areas as diverse as Redmond and Indonesia.

With Cays officially becoming principal of two Coupeville schools, there are two other tweaks planned for the administration moving forward.

Former longtime Athletic Director Willie Smith, who has been covering the position since Cays stepped in for Berard, will work next year as a Teacher on Special Assignment and once again be the guiding hand behind Wolf athletics.

Meanwhile, counselor Lori Atlas will complete her principal internship, while adding additional leadership presence across both campuses.

“Together, this team ensures that both the middle school and the high school have visible, accessible, and caring adults who know your students by name,” Leatherwood said.

“We know stability matters to families. We know you want to see leadership that is present in the hallways, at events, and engaged with the life of the school.

“That is exactly what this team is built to deliver.”

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“Let’s use our energy in a positive way!”

Posted in Administration, tagged , , , , on May 1, 2026| 1 Comment »

The Coupeville Education Association and the Coupeville Educational Support Association recently compiled a 77-page climate survey, which showed disapproval for the jobs being done by Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood, school administrators, and the school board.

Coupeville Elementary School Principal Erica McColl was the exception, receiving high praise.

The following letter to the editor is written by School Board Vice President Nancy Conard:

Nancy Conard

 

I have lived in Coupeville for 70 years.

I am a proud K-12 alumni of Coupeville Schools.

I worked for the Coupeville Schools for 30 years, primarily as business manager.

I have been very actively involved in the Coupeville community my entire life, including 20 years as mayor of the Town.

I joined the school board five years ago, in part because my granddaughter, who we raised, was a student in the school, and in part because I was interested in supporting the school district.

Frankly, I was initially disappointed to learn that the financial management of the district was weak at that time, and there were a lot of opportunities for improvement throughout the district.

The school board and administration have worked through many of the financial issues, although there is still more work to do.

We adopted a new Strategic Plan which has guided some of the administrative priorities.

We are also working with the superintendent to support management and administrative changes … as we have faced some challenges in the last few years.

I appreciate and support her efforts to improve Coupeville Schools.

I have read the survey conducted by the labor unions and appreciate the input they received from staff. I support their right to conduct a survey and am looking forward to learning more about their issues.

I am disappointed that the unions chose such a public method of expressing their concerns.

Union leaders met with the superintendent, the board president, Morgan (White), and me, the board vice president, last Thursday to deliver the survey results and it was distributed to the staff and media on Friday.

The school board meets twice a month, once in workshop session and once is a formal meeting.

There is opportunity for public input at these meetings, and I think that would have been a good time to bring issues to the board. It didn’t happen.

In addition, all five of the board members are accessible to the staff and the community and will meet when asked.

There are also communication meetings with the administration and union, where these issues could also have been discussed.

Coupeville is a special community, and we work together, in good times and in bad, to support our folks.

I would urge our staff and our community to work with us to strengthen our school community and to hold back on the reaction to the negativity expressed in the survey.

Let’s use our energy in a positive way!

As your elected school board representative, you can reach me at nancyconard@aol.com or 360-969-0023.

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Principal/CTE Director resigns

Posted in Administration, tagged , , , , on April 25, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The agenda for next Thursday’s school board meeting includes approval of the resignation of Coupeville High School Principal/CTE Director Dan Berard.

Berard, who has held those positions since April 2025, announced in February he was stepping down at the end of the school year.

At the time, he said he would be transitioning to a different, as yet to be named, position within the district.

Instead, on March 16, Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood announced that Berard had been placed on “paid administrative leave while the district conducted a review process.”

Berard, who came to Coupeville after working 27 years in the Mount Vernon school district, replaced Geoff Kappes, who resigned as high school and middle school principal in April 2025.

Kappes was placed on “non-disciplinary leave pending an investigation” by Leatherwood in December 2024.

Saturday morning the Superintendent released the following statement:

Principal Dan Berard has been on approved medical leave and has submitted his resignation effective at the end of his contract.

He will remain on medical leave through the end of his employment with the district.

We are grateful for Dan’s service to our students and community and wish him well.

I will be sharing information about our leadership transition and search process in the coming weeks. Thank you for your continued support of Coupeville schools.

The latest move comes on the heels of the results of a union survey being released which shows low support for Berard, Leatherwood, and the School Board.

You can read a story about that survey, conducted by the Coupeville Education Association and the Coupeville Educational Support Association, here:

Survey paints troubling picture of leadership, morale in Coupeville schools

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Coupeville Schools lose tech whiz

Posted in Administration, tagged , , , on April 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Will Smith

The affable man with an answer for every tech question is taking his impressive skill set on to new adventures.

Will Smith, Director of Technology for the Coupeville School District, has left his post after an 8+ year run.

The Brandman University grad first came to work in Coupeville in 2018 after finishing his career with the US Navy.

Smith served from 1996 to 2018, starting and ending his military run at NAS Whidbey.

Along with keeping every computer running, every school board meeting stream from fritzing out, and thousands of other tasks, he has been a man of many callings.

Smith has been a volunteer coach with the North Whidbey Soccer Club and was a candidate for the Oak Harbor School Board in 2023.

In a community newsletter released Monday night, Coupeville Schools Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood addressed Smith’s departure.

“Our Technology Director has stepped down,” she wrote.

“I have been taking the time needed to develop a thoughtful plan before communicating broadly because our community deserves a path forward, not just an announcement.

“That plan will be shared with you in the coming weeks.”

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