December Superintendent's Corner

As this goes out to the region, an atmospheric river is flowing through Western Washington, inundating our communities with rain and moisture that seems to consume all hours, day and night. As rivers rise and the earth struggles to absorb the rain, road conditions often turn dangerous. Please take as many precautions as you can. 

As days shorten and weather turns wintry, an endless stream of rain often only heightens an overwhelming sense of gloom and hopelessness. Yet I like to think that all this moisture is helping to ease some of the perils of a summer drought, feeding the mosses, ferns, and trees that make us the evergreen state. It is the optimism I try to find in times like this: darkness followed by light, overwhelm followed by relief, rain followed by new growth. 

I look to the water as a renewal for our natural systems, hopefully without too much destruction along the way. Renewal. Hope. Optimism.

As we enter into a holiday season which represents many different cultures and beliefs, we also close out another calendar year. In this past year, education has experienced the impacts of underfunding, uncertainty, and policy shifts at the state and federal level. 

However, I am confident that we can help each other navigate these challenges together by sharing information and experiences so we don’t each have to find solutions in isolation. We will need this shared support in the coming weeks and months as we head toward our state legislative session starting in January. 

I feel very fortunate to be in my third year of working in the ESD 113 region with so many accomplished leaders both in our five-county region and within the ESD 113 agency. Our goal is to find a way to support all communities in Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston counties to help co-create the conditions for student and staff success. I hope the next few weeks provide some time for reflection and enjoyment. See you in 2026!

With much gratitude!

Dr. Flip Herndon
Superintendent, ESD 113