Superintendent
Dear Issaquah School District Community,
I feel deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as your superintendent. Together, we are building upon the great work that students, staff, families and community members have done through the years.
After starting work here in July of 2022, I launched my First 100 Days Plan to learn about our schools, staff teams and facilities. I wanted to hear directly from our teachers and staff members, our students, parents and guardians, community and business leaders – all those who call our district home. I visited buildings, classrooms and departments throughout the district and attended community events, and will continue to do just that!
While I'm still learning about the Issaquah School District Community, a few things were immediately clear to me, including our district’s strong sense of excellence for academic programming and achievement. The members of the Superintendent's Cabinet and I will seek to uphold and grow those. Moving forward, it is important to provide our students who need additional support and services with these resources to ensure access to the opportunities that enable them to unlock their passion and potential.
I also look forward to working with all of you to ensure that the programs and activities we offer our students – and that we invest our financial resources in – are ones that work.
As I update this message in February of 2023, we’re in the midst of several key processes to accomplish that goal:
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A thorough review of programs and initiatives districtwide: Each cabinet member listed their team’s key tasks and functions, explained why those actions matter to our district Ends (goals) for students, and assessed how much time and money it takes to accomplish those tasks.
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Strategic planning: Using direct feedback and input from our students, staff and community, our team is working with consultants to create a three-year strategic plan with a clear vision, goals, actions and metrics. Stay tuned for updates.
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Budget work and reductions: As you have likely read in district communications about the budget in the past two years, our district is facing a significant deficit. We are assessing what is working and not working for our students; and we are working to align our business operations with our educational programming. Our budget should also align with the priorities in our strategic plan.
In addition to our strategic planning and budget work, we remain committed to our journey of engaging in more inclusive and cross-cultural ways. I enjoy reading about and learning from others about their life experiences, and I invite you all to join me in that pursuit, so that we can work together to provide better access for our students to pursue their potential and passion. We will continue to support our students in the ways that they each need as individuals, from mental health services to social emotional learning.
If I haven’t had the opportunity to meet you yet, here’s a quick overview of my path before I joined the ISD. I began my career in education teaching English and U.S. History, and have worked in multiple school district and nonprofit organizations including Mukilteo School District, Providence Public Schools, New York City Department of Education and Teach For America. Two of my core values are equity and excellence, rooted in my culture and my upbringing. I identify as Chinese American, and was raised as an only child by my mom with the support of our extended family. I spent a lot of time with my maternal grandmother and grandfather when my mom worked at the family restaurant on weekends and at night. My mother, grandmother and grandfather always engaged in the work of building community, engaging civically, and helping others, something I seek to emulate to honor their legacy.
I am committed to listening to all voices, and to two-way communication. I look forward to connecting with you and continuing to build our community together, with vision, shared understanding and purpose.
Sincerely,
Heather Tow-Yick
Superintendent
About Heather
Heather previously served as deputy superintendent of the Mukilteo School District, also in Washington. Prior to Mukilteo, Tow-Yick was chief of staff to the CEO at Teach For America and launched the organization’s work in Rhode Island. Her experience also includes roles as chief transformation officer and chief of staff for Providence Public Schools, consultant at the Bridgespan Group, and special assistant to former New York City Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein. She began her career as a middle school English teacher in the Bronx.
Tow-Yick has a master’s in secondary English education from Columbia University Teachers College and an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Brown University.
Top strengths include: arranger, communication, individualization, responsibility, achiever.
Superintendent Announcements
Superintendent Heather Tow-Yick shares a message for students, staff, families and community members at the start of the 2023-24 school year. The captions are in the process of being translated into Spanish, Chinese and Korean, and will be posted to our YouTube channel soon.
- Strategic Planning
- Superintendent
The Issaquah School Board held a regular meeting on Thursday, Aug. 24. Agenda topics included introductions of new administrators, a review of a work study session about academic achievement, works in progress, School Improvement Plans, the CTE 4-Year Plan, the adoption of the 2023-24 Budget and other items.
- Finance
- Superintendent
At the end of the 2022-23 school year, Superintendent Heather Tow-Yick reflects on how far we've come together, and shares three messages and takeaways from her first year as our superintendent.
- Superintendent
In today's Board Recap, read about what the board members discussed and the action they took during the May 23 meeting, including an update about the Issaquah High Stadium Improvements Project; Works in Progress; Executive Limitation 12 Learning Environment; and more.
- Capital Projects
- School Board
- Superintendent
In the May Community Update video, Superintendent Heather Tow-Yick gives an update about the newly adopted Vision Statement for the Issaquah School District, as well as next steps for the Draft Strategic Plan, which includes priority areas and goals that will guide work in the district over the next three years.
- School Board
- Strategic Planning
- Superintendent
In today's Community Update video, Superintendent Heather Tow-Yick and Chief of Finance and Operations Martin Turney talk with community members about the district's enrollment, the process to create the 2023-24 budget, and the revenue outlook for the next couple of years.
- Business Office
- Finance
- Superintendent