Coupeville Schools Superintendent Steve King. (Photo property Coupeville School District)
He’s been re-upped.
School Board directors approved a new three-year contract Monday for Coupeville Schools Superintendent Steve King.
The new deal runs from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023.
King, who has held the superintendent position in Coupeville since 2018, will be paid $168,636 for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.
In a unique move, however, he will not be getting an immediate pay raise.
With the school district facing uncertain financial times as the COVID-19 pandemic plays out, King volunteered to accept the same salary for 2020-2021 as he received in 2019-2020.
This move was hailed by school board members, who voted unanimously to approve his new contract.
A former Principal at Mount Baker High School, King was an Assistant Superintendent in Oak Harbor prior to accepting the Coupeville job after Dr. Jim Shank departed.
The on-camera murder of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis, has been the catalyst which sparked ongoing demonstrations across the world.
Coupeville Schools Superintendent Steve King released the following statement Friday morning:
Dear Coupeville Families and Staff,
Recently, I watched a video of another black person being killed in the streets by a police officer.
His name was George Floyd and he was murdered by a policeman.
It was completely inhumane the way this man was killed with the knee of the policeman pressed against his upper back and neck area laid face down on the streets.
This happened for several minutes and I heard the man saying over and over that he could not breathe and he became so desperate for his life he started to cry for his mother.
As I watched the video I had a mixture of feelings that included anger and compassion for Mr. Floyd.
Over the years I have lost track of the number of African Americans who have lost their lives in similar ways.
I have spent the last week trying to figure out how to step out of the safety of my own white, middle class world to use what influence I have to help change an American system that now has practiced generations of racism and inequality.
I, like many white Americans, have ignored this problem for years, choosing personal comforts, job security, and the risk of criticism over standing up and speaking out against injustice and racism in our country.
I now see that I represent so much of what is wrong in America right now.
For years, while feeling compassion on this issue, I have never courageously stood up for our people of color and especially our black Americans who have suffered systemic racism.
Guilt and compassion without action is effectively silence and makes me complicit in our horrible history of discrimination.
Minneapolis, Minnesota seems like a long way from Coupeville.
But I can tell you that racism and discrimination does exist in our community and in our schools.
To our students and families of color please accept my apology for not standing up stronger for you sooner.
I want you to know that while I am not sure how to do this, that I am committed to doing it. I share in your grief and your anger.
Some of you may feel hopeless after all these years and incidents.
I hope that you will be able to forgive me for my years of silence and cowardly choice to stay silent and safe.
It is time for us to start having difficult, messy, and uncomfortable conversations about this issue.
Our nation seems like a very dark place right now and it is hard to stay positive and have hope.
It is time for us to act in love for the injustices that we see. Guilt and compassion is simply not enough.
I understand if you do not want to join me in this work or even if you are critical of the message.
I myself have done the same thing to people and leaders who try to speak up on this topic.
Here are a few videos that I wanted to share with all of you about systemic racism in our countries and in our schools to help us begin to educate ourselves and to open up the discussion on this issue.
Nicole Laxton (left) and Veronica Crownover participate in the Coupeville High School Senior Parade in 2019. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Everyone loves a parade, but they’ll have to do without one this graduation season in Coupeville.
Normally, the CHS seniors pile into cars and trucks and take a tour of downtown in the buildup to diploma day, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will prevent that this spring.
“The town, in compliance with state and county guidelines, has asked us not to hold any parades to avoid gatherings,” said Coupeville Schools Superintendent Steve King.
“We are doing a modified in-person graduation on the 13th instead.”
Coupeville High School does not plan to hire a replacement for Principal Duane Baumann when he departs at the end of the 2019-2020 school year.
Instead, the plan is to promote Geoff Kappes, the Coupeville Middle School Principal, and have him cover both jobs, being responsible for grades 6-12.
That move was announced Monday night by Coupeville Schools Superintendent Steve King during an online school board meeting.
King said he will seek official school board approval at the board’s May 25 meeting.
As the district considers staffing cuts across the board, the decision to have Kappes inherit Baumann’s duties allows Coupeville to “reduce (administration) by attrition.”
“Mr. Kappes is an outstanding principal and he’s done a fantastic job at the middle school,” King said during the meeting. “He has a real heart for helping students as they transition from middle school all the way to graduation.”
While there will be one principal for two schools (which share a campus), the plan is to maintain each school’s distinct identities, while the two staffs work together.
“I want to thank Mr. Kappes for him being willing to take on that challenge,” King said.
This is the second go-round for Kappes in the Coupeville school district.
He was a teacher and girls basketball coach at CHS from 2004-2007, then returned in 2017 to become the CMS Principal.
Baumann, who had a 10-year run as an administrator in Coupeville, was an Assistant Principal and Athletic Director before becoming CHS Principal in 2016.
He announced his resignation in November, with plans for a family move to Port Orchard.
CHS Principal Duane Baumann and other local school officials are negotiating tricky times. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Schools across Washington state are closing for at least six weeks, after Governor Jay Inslee issued an executive order Friday afternoon.
The move is part of a plan to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus.
A statement posted on the Coupeville School District web site reads:
Dear Coupeville Families,
Per Governor Jay Inslee’s executive order, Coupeville Schools will join the rest of the school districts in Washington State to close schools beginning Tuesday, March 17, through April 24.
At this time, the earliest students will be back in our schools will be Monday, April 27.
Schools will be open Monday, March 16, for students to collect their belongings, receive instructional materials and gather any essential education items necessary for the extended closure.
Steve King Superintendent Coupeville Schools
**The Coupeville Schools Facebook page indicates classes will be held on Mar. 16 for all grades.**
Coupeville Sports 