Meet Our New Superintendent

This week's edition of the Friday Connect newsletter will be the last of the 2023-2024 school year. We will be taking a break for the summer and will return on Aug. 23 with more Chehalis School District news.

Don't despair, there are still plenty of ways to stay connected with what's going on in the Chehalis School District. Check out our website at chehalisschools.org and make sure you follow us on Facebook and Instagram, where we will be keeping you updated all summer long. If you missed any editions of Friday Connect this year, be sure to check them out at https://chehalisschools.org/news/.

In this last edition, we'd like to introduce you to Rick Goble, our district's new Superintendent, who was named to the position June 18 by our School Board. Learn about the road that led this Lewis County native and proud Bearcat parent to this next leg of his journey.

Rick Goble is the new Chehalis School District Superintendent.

“We are so fortunate to have Rick ready to step into this position. The board had heard a lot of positive feedback from district staff, parents, and community partners about the great work Rick has been doing in the district and we listened. Since this announcement has been made, we’ve seen an outpouring of positive support for this decision,” said Board President Kelsi Hamilton. “Another reason making Rick an obvious choice is that he led the district process to identify and agree on the 75 by 35 goal furthering the mission of a high-quality education for every student in our schools. The district has already seen tremendous gains in student achievement since the Student Achievement Initiative began in 2013 and we look forward to building on this success as a district and community.”

Rick has a broad perspective of the school district from working as a teacher and administrator. He served as Assistant Principal at Chehalis Middle School and later at W.F. West High School where he also served as CTE Director before being named Executive Director for Student Achievement in 2022. In this role he helped forge partnerships and procure grant funding as well as help our buildings create frameworks where every student is challenged to view themselves as a learner, to dream big and to reach for their college and career goals.

So, what are the next steps? We are finalizing a one-year contract with Rick to serve as Superintendent. Why one year? In this time of transition, we have a number of new administrators coming in this year, including W.F. West Principal Regina Carr and W.F. West Assistant Principal/CTE Director Don Bunker. We are also looking at new staffing configurations to streamline our budget. We face challenges like many other districts, mostly because of the rise in the cost of goods and services and the loss of state LEA funding support. Our district budgets conservatively and proactively while working to continue support for classroom instruction.

Our board expects that this one-year contract will be extended next year and that Rick Goble will be the Chehalis Superintendent for a long tenure

Rick Goble may not be a Bearcat graduate but you could say his passion for education was influenced by W.F. West High School.

He grew up in Morton and attended Morton High School. Shortly after marrying his wife, Shawna, nearly 29 years ago, he was encouraged by his mother in-law Nel Baarspul, a teacher at W.F. West, to pursue the field of education. She felt that the career pathway would perfectly match her new son in-law's desire to help others.

Rick graduated from Central Washington University in 1998 with a Bachelor's degree in History and and a minor in Physical Education. He went back to his alma mater of Morton High School and taught Social Studies and Physical Education for 10 years. He earned his Master of Education degree from Regent University in 2002 and his Principal Certification from from Seattle Pacific University in 2007. He then served as Principal for Winlock Middle and High School for 4 years and then Supervisor of CTE/Assessment for the Tumwater School District for 2 years.

Rick earned his Superintendent certification from from Seattle Pacific University in 2013 and then joined the Chehalis School District in 2014. He served as assistant principal at Chehalis Middle School and W.F. West High School before being named Executive Director for Student Achievement in 2022. In June, the Chehalis School Board unanimously voted to appoint him Superintendent after the departure of Dr. Christine Moloney.

"I am humbled by the support I have been given by the staff and the community since my appointment. I am very optimistic about the future of the Chehalis School District and look forward to serving our community in this role," Goble said of becoming the next Superintendent of the Chehalis School District. "I am grateful for our dedicated staff and look forward to working with such an outstanding group of educators as we focus on student achievement and preparing our students for the journey ahead."

Shawna Goble is a counselor at W.F. West High School. The couple has four children and three grandchildren. Their youngest child, Aspen, graduated in the Bearcat Class of 2024. This special occasion was made even more special because Shawna was one of the counselors who helped each graduate know when it was time to head to the stage to receive their diploma. Shawna got to hug and see Aspen off on her walk across the stage and Rick surprised Aspen by meeting her at the other end of the stage to congratulate her with a hug.

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