Oakville School District Superintendent Richard Staley was one of three Washington superintendents selected to receive the Robert J. Handy Most Effective Administrator Award at a statewide educators conference in Spokane earlier this month.
The award, sponsored by PEMCO Insurance and the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA), seeks to recognize outstanding public school administrators in Washington state, according to a news release.
A peer committee selects one superintendent from a small school district with up to 500 students, one from a medium district with 501 to 2,000 students and one from a large district with over 2,000 students to receive the award.
The superintendents are chosen based on how each “is taking part in realizing the nine characteristics of high performing schools/districts as defined by research from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction,” according to a news release.
The award includes a $10,500 cash prize, which is equally divided amongst the three recipients.
“Schools are the heartbeat of communities, and public education is the backbone of American democracy,” said WASA Executive Director Joel Aune. “The 2023 WASA state award recipients truly embody exceptional leadership, integrity and a deep commitment to both communities and public education. Their tireless efforts are making a significant and lasting impact on students throughout the entire state of Washington. WASA’s recognition program, with generous support from long-time sponsors, aims to highlight and amplify the powerful and inspiring stories of leadership and service in public education," Aune said. “The stories of this year’s award recipients are representative of the amazing work occurring in schools each and every day by school district leaders across the entire state.”
Staley and the other two recipients received the award during the 41st annual Washington Association of School Administrators and Association of Washington School Principals’ Summer Conference earlier this month, where more than 1,000 school superintendents, central office administrators and principals from across Washington state gathered at the Spokane Convention Center for sessions and learning focused on educational equity, innovation, inclusion, belonging, social emotional learning, school and school district culture, and academic success, according to a WASA news release.
Other awards presented during the conference were the Piper Sandler Doyle E. Winter Scholarship for Administrative Leadership in Education and the Gallagher Howard M. Coble Scholarship for Under- Represented Educational Leaders.
“WASA represents competence, integrity, vision, and leadership in pursuit of equity and excellence. This year’s state award recipients are shining examples of what WASA stands for, as well as exceptional school district leadership,” said Aune. “We congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition and thank them for their incredible dedication to the profession and the students we are privileged to serve.”
A full list of award recipients is below:
Robert J. Handy Most Effective Administrator Awards
• Large District: Ron Banner, superintendent, Clover Park School District
• Medium District: Dr. Stephanie Spencer, director of teaching and learning, Vashon Island School District
• Small District: Richard Staley, superintendent, Oakville School District
Piper Sandler Doyle E. Winter Scholarship for Administrative Leadership in Education
• Robert Aguilar, principal, College Place School District.
Gallagher Howard M. Coble Scholarship for Under-Represented Educational Leaders
• Salina Machida, assistant principal, Battle Ground School District.
