Editor's Note: With Highline schools set to resume classes on Wednesday, Sept. 7, Times/News reporter Eric Mathison recently talked with new Superintendent John Welch. Welch, previously deputy superintendent, replaced the retiring Dr. Joe McGeehan on July 1. Mathison has covered Highline schools for five years. This is part two of that interview; part one appeared Aug. 24.

In the elementaries, you launched a reading initiative. Are you going more toward a math initiative now?

Welch: Our performance in math is not where it needs to be. We are rolling out a math initiative.

No Child Left Behind and the state have some pretty lofty targets in reading, math and science. We have to make sure we continue to demonstrate progress in all those areas.

What kind of initiatives are you planning for the middle schools?

Welch: We will probably look at what courses middle school should offer and how to make the seamless transition to high school and how to start college awareness at the middle school level.

We have to look at various personalization pieces and the structure of middle-school teachers teaming up and looping with their kids from grade to grade.

Beyond the personalization piece, we have to be working on improved instruction. That had been a central focus before we started working on personalization.

We need to be looking at teaching in a project-based way so not only can kids master the academic content but they can develop workplace skills.

Teachers talk about added professional development plus all these other programs. They seem to be feeling a real burden.

Welch: The demands on teachers are significant in today's education arena. They are having to step up and learn new ways of teaching. They are having to interact with students from other countries and cultures where they speak other languages.

The expectations for those kids are virtually the same as for the kids who have been traditionally successful.

One of the things we have scheduled are professional development days for teachers built into the schedule. Students can be off doing research or be off doing other things.

It always seems kind of funny that the way to get students to learn more is to give them fewer days of school.

Welch: It's like any profession. If you are a doctor or engineer, it's hard to improve your practice or craft while doing your job every day.

We've got to build into the year time for professionals to plan together and learn together.

Highline is a very diverse school district that presents special challenges to you and your staff. Can you talk about that a little bit?

Welch: I try to think of diversity as more of an opportunity we haven't tapped into yet.

Trying to engage families where English is not the primary language is difficult from communication and culture standpoints. With the help of community groups we're beginning to learn how to do that. We have a number of culture schools.

How's the capital facilities plan going?

Welch: On time and on budget.

Mt. Rainier High seems to be going up in construction costs.

Welch: The costs of steel and steel-related materials are issues related to cost. Labor is another cost increase. There's a lot of capital project work in the private sector as well as the public sector.

We have hung tight to the original design. We want to build that school to the quality and standards that have been established.

Fortunately with this year's support from our legislators in providing more state match dollars for Mt. Rainier, it has gone to help with our costs.

Our big focus is building up the momentum and planning for Phase II. That would be the five elementaries that are our next five on the priority list. (Shorewood, Parkside, Midway, Marvista and McMicken Heights.)

That will be a board decision this fall whether to run a bond this spring.

We have some great, great places of learning and we want to continue that.

Your background is finance. Do you feel comfortable as an educational administrator?

Welch: I do. I have a fair amount of post graduate work in education having been through a superintendent program that was much more focused on creating a system where all students can achieve at high levels.

I'm a learner. I'm continuing to learn and stay at the top of my game.

I'm also working with some of the most talented educators, who have spent their lives in the classrooms.

They are right by my side. So together we are moving forward.

What are you going to do differently than Dr. McGeehan?

Welch: I'm a different leader than Joe is. What we share is the commitment to get all kids college and career ready.

How we get there is likely to be different and those differences will unfold in the months and years ahead as we move forward.

Eric Mathison can be reached at hteditor@robinsonnews.com or 206-444-4873.