Superintendent

Dear Issaquah School District Community,

Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! The artwork in this year's Student Art Calendar is incredible and beautiful, and shares just a glimpse into the talent and creativity of our district and community. You might also notice that this is the first year with Juneteenth recognized as a national holiday.

I’m thrilled to be joining you in the ISD, and can’t wait to build upon the great work that students, staff, families and community members have done together through the years. I feel deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as your new superintendent.

In the coming months, I’ll be visiting buildings, classrooms and departments throughout the district and attending community events – I look forward to meeting and talking with you! Until then, to share a few highlights about myself, 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 am Chinese American, and was raised by a single 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 and helping others, something I seek to emulate.

From what I’ve learned about the Issaquah School District Community, there is already a strong sense of excellence for academic programming and achievement, which I will seek to uphold and grow. As you know, it will be important to provide the necessary supports and services to help catch up those students who have missed learning over the past two years, while at the same time supporting students who are further ahead to accomplish their goals and dreams. 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.

The ISD community is already on a journey of engaging in more equitable practices, and that’s another path I hope to contribute to and learn from alongside all of you. 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 through an equitable lens. We will continue to support our students in the ways that they each need as individuals, from mental health services to social emotional learning.

I am committed to listening to all voices, and to two-way communication. Let’s work together to identify our priorities, then use those priorities to help align our business operations and our educational programming work. I am looking forward to connecting with you and continuing to build our community together, with vision, shared understanding and purpose.

Sincerely,

Heather Tow-Yick
Superintendent