Melissa Cole is preparing for her first school year as superintendent of the Klamath County School District, with improving student attendance and academic performance among her priorities.
Cole took over July 1 from former Superintendent Glen Szymoniak, who retired in June after eight years leading the district. She now oversees approximately 7,000 K-12 students.
Cole has years of experience in education, including as a teacher and principal, as well as 11 years at an education nonprofit.
But in addition to the usual work of getting up to speed, she’s had to deal with the approximately 53,000-acre Wrights Spring Fire, which is burning in Klamath County.
Cole said her focus has been the safety and well-being of students.
"We were looking at the evacuation zone map, and we are looking at all the dots of where our kids live on the map and making sure that we're doing the right outreach to them to make sure they're going to be taken care of and they're going to be able to start school with their peers come August 31 when students return," she said.
Looking ahead, she said her goals are to reduce chronic student absenteeism and be visible and accessible in the community.
Cole said she wants to be hands-on, whether that means visiting classrooms or putting on her tennis shoes and jeans to do custodial work alongside district employees.
"It's being in schools and seeing all the different roles," she said. "That's when you really know what's happening and what the needs are."
With many school districts, including Klamath County, struggling with chronic absenteeism, Cole said there is community interest in possibly bringing back truancy citations.
"The power is not in the citation. It's about education and wraparound services and support and accountability," she said. "That's what we would like to do here because it is a community effort. It's just not a school effort."
Malheur, Union and Umatilla Counties have already brought back truancy citations.
In recent years, Oregon school districts have faced financial challenges and low student test scores.
Test scores in the Klamath County School District remain low but have been improving. The district also performs better than the state average in terms of attendance and on-time graduation.
The district is also preparing to meet new state goals. An Oregon law expanded the metrics schools must track regarding student performance and requires demonstrated progress toward specific goals.
With plenty of work ahead, Cole is eager to get going.
"I get up at 4:30 every morning," she said. "I'm in the office by 6, and I leave every day with a smile on my face because I feel like I'm already making a big difference."
