Name: Jennifer L. Durney
Occupation: Business Insurance Agent/Operations Manager at Durney Insurance.
Relevant experience: Graduate of Aberdeen School District, GH College, WSU and current school board director as well as Grays Harbor YMCA Board of Directors, United Way Board of Directors, Hoquiam Rotary Treasurer, and a GH YMCA Annual campaign team co-captain
1. What standards would you use to assess whether the Aberdeen School District is succeeding, and by those standards, how is it doing?
As an Aberdeen High School graduate, I passionately believe in our district and I feel that we provide our students with a quality education and the opportunity to grow as individuals. As a parent of two daughters who have always attended schools in the district, I wanted to learn more about how the district performs as a whole and what I can do to help our students benefit from the best things our district has to offer while making sure our taxpayers aren’t being asked for too much. We provide many programs and activities at each school for our kids to explore. At Aberdeen High School students can participate in technical education programs, AVID, leadership, sports, music, drama, different clubs, etc. The Aberdeen School District has a wonderful staff who teach students the skills students need so they can be productive adults when they leave the district. Regardless if our students are heading to college, a trade school, or full-time employment we want to make sure we provide what they need to succeed after they leave the Aberdeen School District.
The district is constantly reviewing data provided by the Teaching and Learning Department, Special Education, scheduling, etc. so we can better understand what is going on, what we can do, and where to go next. I don’t feel that student assessment tests are the only standard to base if a district is succeeding or failing. In Aberdeen School District we look at all the factors rather than just test scores provided by the state. While we do need to look at graduation rates, failure rates, attendance, etc. and determine what is causing the negative numbers we also need to come up with individual plans and how to help our students succeed in life. With the recent addition of an At-Risk Counselor we are hoping to intervene early on in a student’s academic career when necessary and get them connected with the support systems needed to succeed.
2. In terms of priorities, what direction would you, as a school board member, give to the superintendent?
The School Board is responsible for setting the policies of the district, overseeing the budget, and we are the boss of the superintendent. The superintendent is the CEO of the district and sets the tone, works closely with the board, and is responsible for hiring and supervising the other administrators/principals throughout the district. We are responsible for evaluating the superintendent regularly and providing direction when things come up that require our approval. We also provide input from what we hear from our tax- payers, parents, and staff as appropriate.
3. Collectively, the Legislature takes the position that its new funding methods satisfy a state Supreme Court order to adequately fund basic education. How do you see it?
Our board has a good relationship with our local legislators and a representative of the board meets with them from time to time to provide our input and ask questions. The current superintendent has begun a Grays Harbor/Pacific County superintendent team to communicate the challenges the school districts in our area are facing. The group meets regularly and then our Superintendent reports back to the board and asks for input. We have had some challenges with the new funding models but hopefully a fix is out there during the next session to help our kids and not strain our taxpayers any further. In the meantime, we are navigating our current situation as best we can while not trying to disrupt our student’s needs. My promise as a board member will always be to place the interests of the students in our district above all others in every decision I make.
