A Brinnon elementary teacher is set to take the reins of that small, south county district next school year.

The Brinnon School District 46 board selected Patricia “Trish” Beathard, 54, for its combined, full-time superintendent/principal position May 5 after interviewing Beathard and one other applicant – Jody Potter, business manager at the Queets-Clearwater School District.

“What stood out to me, I think, was the fact that she's already been in the building for a year and she's very familiar with the community and the students,” said Bill Barnet, school board president, adding that Beathard's husband, Trey Beathard, teaches health and physical education at Quilcene High School, and the youngest of her three sons is currently a sophomore at Quilcene. “They really want to settle in Brinnon, and we wanted someone who wasn't going to use this as a stepping stone into another job. She's here for the long term.”

The Beathards moved to their Brinnon home along the Dosewallips River in 2014 after retiring from careers in New Caney, Texas, where Trish had been director of elementary education for two years after spending the previous six years as the principal of an elementary school in that district.

Since then, Beathard has been teaching third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in Brinnon.

“Going back to the classroom was a strange step for me, but I wanted to be in Brinnon,” said Beathard, who worked as an elementary school teacher from 1984 to 2000 in two Texas districts as well as the Central Kitsap School District in Washington.

Beathard was a librarian at a high school in a small Texas town from 2000 to 2003, then an assistant principal at an intermediate school from 2003 to 2006 in the same town.

“She has worked at a lot of schools with at-risk kids and has been able to get some exemplary ratings based on standardized state tests in Texas,” said Barnet.

Beathard said her parents have lived in Brinnon for the past 20 years. In that time, the family made regular visits for holidays and vacations. Seven years ago, she inherited her uncle's home on the Dosewallips River, giving her and her husband a place to settle upon retirement.

“This is where we're committed to being,” said Beathard, who grew up in Alaska before moving to Texas with her husband. “Every time I drive to school in the morning I think, 'Wow, what a beautiful place to live.'”

School board members found Beathard's attachment to the Brinnon community rather attractive, Barnet said.

“We wanted someone who wasn't going to use this as a stepping stone into another job,” he said. Wally [Lis] did a superb job. We couldn't have asked for more in a transition. We had gone from a superintendent who was a part-time principal/superintendent (Nancy Thompson), who we really had full-time because she lived in Brinnon. Then we hired Wally, thinking, 'Why don't we share a superintendent?' He was here for three years and got a lot done. Now that we're in a position to change directions, the board felt it was time to have a full-time person.”

In April, Lis resigned his duties at Brinnon effective next school year and accepted a full-time superintendent position at Quilcene.

Earlier this year, Quilcene's school board learned that 30-year district employee and current business manager Cindy Pollard would retire in January 2016 and decided to seek a full-time, experienced superintendent to help shepherd the transition to a new business manager.

That district plans to fill Pollard's position next fall, allowing time for a transition before she leaves.

Also earlier this year, Brinnon's school board learned 30-year teacher Gay Corey would retire at the end of this school year and decided to seek a full-time superintendent. Corey has served as the teacher on special assignment, doling out discipline at times when Lis was away in Quilcene.

Lis' new contract with Quilcene is in the works. He currently makes about $95,000 in his split role.

Beathard's new contract is also in the works. That position's contract salary range is $67,500 to $80,000, depending on experience.

Brinnon is currently seeking someone to replace Beathard in the classroom. The deadline to apply in May 27 and more details are posted on the district's website bsd46.org.

“She is leaving the classroom, so she has to replace herself,” said Barnet. “Every teacher has three grades, so we really need a strong person who can work with multi-age students.”

Beathard said she hopes to work collaboratively with the district's five teachers, two bus drivers, four paraeducators and several other support staff to build an ideal learning atmosphere for the school's 51 students in preschool through eighth grade.

“Everything we do needs to focus on kids' learning,” she said. “I want to continue to build on the community's pride in this school.”