After working with around 100 principals as Seattle’s interim superintendent, Susan Enfield is excited about the great things that can be accomplished when she can focus on working with about a third that many principals in the smaller Highline district.

In an in-depth interview with the Highline Times in her Seattle office, Enfield, Highline’s newly selected superintendent, declared she thinks, “Highline can be a district people look to.”

Enfield, who officially begins her new duties July 1, emphasizes that operating a school district is a team effort.

“A superintendent alone can’t do much but with a great team and partnering with families, we can do great things,” Enfield declared.

“It will be hard and it will take time. It won’t happen in the first year,” she said.

After announcing that she did not want the permanent position in Seattle, Enfield said she looked at both the Highline and Bellevue school districts.

But during Highline’s all-day interview process, Enfield said she was “wowed” by Highline and the community’s level of commitment.

She was especially impressed with the students.

In a visit to the Health Sciences and Human Services High School on the Evergreen campus, students told her they wanted to be challenged and prepared for college or careers after high school. She noted they said they were well prepared by their school but they worried about their friends in other Highline schools who were not. The students also pressed for more Advanced Placement classes, Enfield added.

She acknowledged that some may be surprised she chose Highline over Bellevue, a wealthier district.

People should be respectful that there are many factors in deciding where to live and work, according to Enfield.

“All I want is a happy life and to do good work,” Enfield added.

Her husband has been living in Portland while she worked in Seattle. She has said they plan to find a home together in Highline and become part of the community.

Asked about Highline’s small learning communities on the Evergreen and Tyee High campuses, Enfield said both small and large high schools can be good. What is important is having a great principal and giving the principal the tools to do the work, according to Enfield.

She admitted that it could be challenging to balance the desires of parents in varying Highline neighborhoods.

But she emphasized that creating high performing schools and equitable schools are not mutually exclusive.

“In my 20 years in education, I have never met a family who didn’t want the best for their children. I have met some who didn’t know how to navigate the system,” Enfield said. “We have to ask how we make sure everyone has access to the system.”

Enfield said she would find out what people can collectively agree on as a set of common values and goals before discussing where they diverge.

Then she would try to effectively communicate her best decision, Enfield added.

“I won’t make everyone happy,” she conceded.

For students with challenging home lives, schools are a place where for 6-8 hours each weekday, they can be exposed to a successful, meaningful relationship with adults who are role models, Enfield said.

Reportedly, Enfield shunned the Seattle job partly because of what she considered meddling by some school board members. Highline board member Susan Goding has occasionally voiced publicly impatience with actions by district staff members.

In the interview, Enfield said board members have a “tough job.”

“If a board member is critical it is not against the district or me. Maybe they need more information,” Enfield said.

”You can’t overcommunicate,” Enfield concluded.

On criticism that Highline schools spend too much time on literacy instruction to the detriment of other subjects such as social studies, science or the arts, Enfield said it is a quandry faced by many districts.
She said she will have to look at how Highline uses its instructional time.

“I’m going to do more listening and learning before I say anything about changes,” Enfield said.

From talking to Highline students, Enfield said she knows Highline’s “pay for play” system for participating in athletics and other activities is a “hot bed” for them. The students knew friends who were not playing sports because of the requirement, she said.

Enfield said she does not have an answer for the problem but she is a great believer that kids need to feel connected in school.

As a school newspaper advisor, Enfield said she knew some of her students only came to school because of the newspaper. She had to remind them that they must go to all their classes to remain in her class, Enfield added.

“Athletics are also key because it’s something the community rallies around,” Enfield said.