Janet Gates-Cortez has joined the leadership team at Stewart Middle School as co-principal with Jon Ketler, Tacoma Public Schools announced Friday.
The goal, according to the school district announcement, is to have the two educators team up to improve instruction, school climate and school-improvement efforts at Stewart.
Stewart, along with three other Tacoma middle schools, was the recipient of a three-year federal grant aimed at boosting student achievement among some of the state’s poorest-performing schools.
The federal grant, now in its second year, includes an annual evaluation. Last year’s state evaluation rated Stewart the lowest among Tacoma schools participating in the grant.
Deputy Superintendent Carla Santorno said in the announcement that expansion of the Stewart leadership team will give the school an additional “highly experienced leader who has demonstrated a longstanding passion for innovations that improve student learning.”
Gates-Cortez comes to Stewart from the district’s Park Avenue Center, which provides intensive special education programs. She will continue to serve as principal there.
Ketler also has multiple leadership roles. In addition to being co-principal at Stewart, he is co-director of the School of the Arts (SOTA) and the Science and Math Institute (SAMI).
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