Long-time Superintendent Lisa Nelson retires

On June 30, Naselle School Superintendent Lisa Nelson shared a video on her personal Facebook page that marked her final walk through the halls of the school holding the office. In the video, she reflected on her long history at the school.

"Here we go," Nelson said in the video. "I'm making my final exit from the Naselle-Grays River Valley School District. I started in this district in kindergarten, went through K-12, worked here for another 17 years, and now I say, 'over and out.'" As she approached the door, she panned the camera down the hallway. "Goodbye, hallways," she said. Exiting through the door, she exclaimed, "Here we go, it's getting real. Wahoo!" Celebrating her final exit as the leader, she raised her arms in the air.

Ms. Nelson's career in education spans 33 years, but her journey didn't start there. When she attended Western Washington University in Bellingham, she aimed to become a teacher. However, as a wide-eyed freshman from a small town, she found that all the education courses were full. In a quick decision, she chose business classes instead. After one term, feeling overwhelmed by the large campus and dorm life, she transferred to Clark College in Vancouver, where she lived with her brother and sister and earned an associate's degree in business. She then returned to Western to complete her bachelor's degree in business.

Her first job after college in the late 1990s was selling fax machines. After training in Atlanta, she quickly realized that wasn't her passion. She then decided to return to college to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. During the summers, she worked as a crew member on wildland fires to earn extra money for school. At WSU in Vancouver, she enrolled in a program that awarded teaching credentials to those who already held a bachelor's degree in another field, allowing her to finish her training more quickly.

She spent several years working in the Ocean Beach School District. One challenging experience happened when her boss made a last-minute decision to switch her from teaching English to high school students to teaching all-inclusive sixth grade. This was a difficult transition, which led her to pursue a career in administration.

From that experience, she shared with Principal Justin Laine, "When you change someone's assignment, there's a lot more to it. So, be careful. That's one way to make a person very unhappy. Teachers need to know early and often what they're doing."

Ms. Nelson spent several years as a principal on the Peninsula and later in Adna. When the principal position at the Naselle Youth Camp became available, she eagerly applied and was able to return to her hometown. During her time there, she started taking classes to become a superintendent.

In 2013, Ms. Nelson served as the interim superintendent of the Naselle-Grays River Valley School District, concurrently serving as the youth camp principal for one year before being appointed the permanent superintendent.

In a superintendent role, it takes time to understand the complexities of the position, as many tasks and responsibilities happen only once a year or even once every three years. The challenges for Ms. Nelson didn't stop there. The pandemic's effects changed the educational landscape for everyone. With mandates from state authorities, it was hard to navigate government requirements alongside the diverse opinions of parents and the community.

When asked about the most significant challenges she faced during her time as superintendent, Nelson said, "Aside from the challenges of the pandemic, I am concerned about the future of public education. When I first started, we would receive over 20 applicants for a single teaching position after advertising. In recent years, we're lucky to get two, even after casting a wider net. Additionally, many parents are turning to alternatives like homeschooling, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it impacts our schools."

Continuing to share the challenges she faced, Nelson added, "Many people believe they are experts in public education. I like to use this analogy: I have a broad base of knowledge across various fields because I was surrounded by different industries in our community growing up. Even with this basic knowledge, I don't tell the log truck driver how to secure their load, nor do I instruct a fisherman on how to cast his net. Yet, many feel compelled to tell administrators and teachers - who possess the education and experience - how to run a school. There were times I felt like we were the enemy. We were required to implement mandates from higher authorities and, as the delivery people at the local level, we became easy targets. I tried to do everything right and be transparent. It was hurtful to be accused of hiding things. Transparency has always been important to me. I had to make hundreds, if not thousands, of big and small decisions each week. I knew I could never please everyone."

When asked about her greatest successes and achievements, her immediate response was, "I survived! It didn't kill me!" In the 2024-2025 Annual Report that was mailed to district residents last week, Ms. Nelson highlighted several key improvements she was involved in, including passing multiple levies, the construction of a new fieldhouse, the renovation of the vocational/music wing, and the replacement of carpets, floors, and roofs. All of these projects were made possible through strong community support and successful grant funding pursuits.

After announcing her retirement in early 2024, the school board looked for her replacement but was unable to find the right candidate. Ms. Nelson agreed to stay on as interim superintendent for an additional year. During the more thorough search in late 2024, the school board ultimately chose Josh Brooks as the new superintendent.

Ms. Nelson expressed her satisfaction with the board's choice, saying, "I like Josh. I'm impressed with the questions he asks and the depth of his knowledge. I liked him from the beginning but, for someone who hasn't been a superintendent yet, he knows more than I expected and asked questions about topics I thought he wouldn't."

Though her tenure had its ups and downs, what she will miss the most are the people and the relationships she built. Even though she will stay living in the community, it won't be the same working with them every day. As for her future plans, at least for now, they are simple: to walk her dog and work outdoors. She is saving any indoor projects for the winter months, knowing that the rainy winter days will be the toughest.

Although she is no longer officially the superintendent, Ms. Nelson continues to oversee the construction project for the vocational and music wing until it is fully completed. Similar to her decision to stay for an extra year until the right person could be hired as her replacement, she remains dedicated to doing what is best for the school and the district.