BELLEVUE REPORTER: What have you found people saying about the district?
DR. TIM MILLS: First, there is tremendous respect and support for the district. I think there’s a general belief that this really is a very good district. Second, knowing it’s a good district, people are not complacent. They don’t expect us just to sit still. And third, there is a very clear expectation that our district can become even better.
REPORTER: Do you think this mentality is unique to Bellevue?
MILLS: Every district has some different nuances, so it’s kind of hard to say. But what I will say is unique to Bellevue, is a tremendous community wide attention about how we can join together to support students. Where I think some districts would look at the changing demographics [of more families in need, really diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds] as a challenge, in Bellevue, it’s not a challenge, it’s something for us to celebrate.
REPORTER: In regard to the diversity in this district, how are you going to work to ensure that different populations are in-tune with the district’s goals?
MILLS: I’ve met with community leaders who I think are very representative of each of those particular groups. We open our arms and invite them to be a part of the conversation and we will develop venues for me and for district leadership to meet with them.
REPORTER: What are your goals as superintendent?
MILLS: When you think of the Bellevue School District, you think of a tremendous history of being a high performing district – and providing opportunity for all students. We want to say, “OK. How do we build on that?” What are the specific actions we are going to do to make the opportunity even better?
REPORTER: So what are your plans for the future of the district?
MILLS: We are going to build a shared vision of our future. It shouldn’t be about the superintendent. My job is to learn about our community as deeply as I can, and as quickly as I can. And then, from that, we design the plan for the future. I’m not coming in with any preconceived notions of how to do that.
REPORTER: Is there anything specific you want to implement?
MILLS: I believe very strongly in a system’s approach. For me, it’s really about looking at the processes that we have right now, and then taking those processes and refining them to make sure they are accomplishing what we expect them to do. I believe that our teachers are a very important part of this discussion, so I am looking forward to sitting down and having these conversations with them – and listening to them.
REPORTER: And how do you plan on doing that?
MILLS: It’s about building relationships and establishing trust. There’s no magical formula to that other than being present. One of the things that I’ve used in my work in previous districts is to provide an open forum – which we’ll do here.
I also want to stress that there are so many great things that this district has done, and it’s not to come in and undo those things. It’s about how we build on the successes this district has had. We actually have a moral obligation to every child in this district that we get better as a district in serving them. And when I say all the kids, I’m talking about the kids who need to get caught up in their learning, I’m talking about the kids that already are high performing. I want them to be stretched in their learning also.
REPORTER: How do you plan to address this academic divide?
MILLS: You look at levels of support. What are the levels of support that are reasonable in the classroom for a teacher to be able to do? Then, what are the types of interventions that would be designated within a school, as things that a school can do? And then, what are district levels of support? It really is about utilizing time in the best way we can with children.
I think for a district like Bellevue, when we talk about closing that gap, we mean the achievement gap. I don’t think that is good enough for Bellevue. It should be about eliminating the gaps. That’s got to be a long term goal for us.
REPORTER: What do you feel is working well in Bellevue?
MILLS: We do not gate keep kids out of Advanced Placement courses. Another thing that is in place is a districtwide common curriculum.
The district has acknowledged and really embraced the understanding that we need to address the needs of gifted children. I also know there’s great support for the arts, and I absolutely believe that’s incredibly important to creativity and ingenuity. I’ll give you another strength: the clear sense that we need to be able to have students ready to go to college and on in to their careers. The district is not saying you are going to college, but every student who graduates from the Bellevue School District should be able to make that choice.
I’m excited that Sammamish High School received a big grant on STEM, but I will tell you that one of the things we are going to be investigating as we look in to the future is how do we increase, and what are the strategies that we are going to develop, to actually take that concept of STEM, into our elementary schools.
REPORTER: When you were in Colorado, you helped get that district’s foundation off the ground. What’s your opinion of the Bellevue Schools Foundation?
MILLS: I believe that what the foundation has already been providing is remarkable. I think there is a lot of opportunity for the foundation to become even more productive in terms of support for schools. And so I am committed to doing anything that I can to support the work of the foundation.
Keegan Prosser:
425-453-4602
kprosser@bellevuereporter.com
