Peninsula school district selects Krestin Bahr as new superintendent
The Peninsula School District has a new superintendent and her name is Krestin Bahr.
The school board announced the selection in an early morning meeting Friday after a series of interviews over the past week that narrowed down five candidates to two semifinalists, Bahr and South Kitsap superintendent Tim Winter, a former Peninsula High School principal. Now, Bahr has emerged as the last one standing.
Bahr has been the superintendent for Eatonville since 2013. Prior to that, she was director of secondary education for middle schools in the Tacoma School District.
Bahr received a bachelors in biological science from Pacific Lutheran University in 1985. Since then, she has received a master of education degree from City University and a superintendent certification from Washington State University.
In a statement, the teachers’ union Peninsula Education Association (PEA) praised Bahr’s selection.
“Congratulations to Krestin Bahr on her selection. This is also a milestone for the district as she is the first woman to serve in this role. Peninsula Education Association is ready to work collaboratively with Krestin and looks forward to establishing a genuine relationship built on trust and creating a shared vision for the direction of our educational system.”
In an interview with The Gateway, Bahr said she was honored to be the first woman to serve as superintendent for the district.
“You know, it is so interesting both times I’ve been superintendent I have been the first female in the community,” Bahr said. “It is an honor, absolutely, to be named superintendent but then it is also a distinct honor to be the first woman superintendent. I take that very seriously and I mentor many young women leaders.”
The conclusion of the process is an exciting one for Bahr, though it wasn’t always easy to go through multiple virtual meetings.
“I am so, so thrilled,” Bahr said. “Although being on Zoom for seven hours — I totalled it up — I think it was a new experience for me. I don’t know if I loved that and not being present with the community, being able to see students and parents. I am so looking forward to being out in the community and learning as much as I can.”
Bahr said she wants to adapt to the new job and not have any rigid plans for exactly how things will go.
“I am not coming in with a preconceived ‘we are going to do x, y, x’ but I have a lot of talent and skill. It is my passion, it has been my life’s passion, to provide just awesome public school experiences for all children. I think the sky’s the limit,” Bahr said. “It depends on what the community wants. What do people want for their kids? What do educators want?”
It is the staff that Bahr will also be looking to for new ideas about ways to improve.
“There are many people in schools that have amazing ideas. Not just educators, but paraprofessionals, bus drivers, and more,” Bahr said. “Innovation isn’t just in the classroom. New ideas, concepts that make people happy in their work, those are throughout the educational system.”
In regards to her time in Eatonville, Bahr said she will miss the district and that any plans to replace her are up to that district’s school board.
“I have been just fully supported by the Eatonville school district board. They’ve just loved me all along this journey. They are so thrilled for my next phase. We did this together, we did this work together,” Bahr said. “I look forward to working with the board in Peninsula. It really is a win-win.”
Bahr has two children who work in the In Eatonville School District already. Her daughter is a culinary arts high school instructor and her son-in-law is a career & technical education teacher.
“I have been deeply invested in what has happened here and made some very, very good colleagues,” Bahr said. “I look forward to Peninsula school district as well.”
Bahr held off on committing to any changes to COVID-19 distance requirements in schools. The CDC announced Friday that it was changing its distancing recommendations from six feet to three feet.
“I always follow science,” Bahr said. “Whether it is a six feet or three feet guideline, it is up to our state department of health.”
“The most important thing that I know is that we will follow the guidelines for the mitigation strategies. Masking, social distancing, and such,” Bahr said. “It is good to see that the research is showing that those strategies work and that they need to be consistent in schools. We need to be cautious as we move forward with children and to take that very seriously and to work with our unions and our educators and our families to make sure that we are following the guidelines.”
Speaking of unions, Bahr said it is a priority to have a good working relationship with the PEA. The union had previously taken a vote of “no confidence” in the current superintendent’s handling of the pandemic.
“I believe in working together. That’s the only way I know how to do that and further conversation,” Bahr said. “This has really been a hard year for everyone and we will continue to be working through some difficult times until this pandemic and this doggone COVID-19 virus is really mastered.”
When it comes to one of her other big priorities, Bahr said she hopes to tackle concerns about equity and inclusion.
“It’s an integral part of a community and there are certain measurements in school districts that you can look at,” Bahr said. “Graduation rate, the college-bound scholarship, all of which you can look for removing barriers of historically, disproportionate, underprivileged, underrepresented populations. If all children can succeed, then every child will succeed.”
The next step will be plans for Bahr to move to the area with her husband and beginning to hit the ground running.
“I hope to be working on an entry plan prior to July 1 and being in the district on several days. Those are plans that are still in the works,” Bahr said.
In a statement, board president David Olson said, “we ultimately chose the candidate with a proven track record of transformative and inspiring leadership, leading to greater outcomes for students and growth opportunities for staff — and take the district to the next level. Krestin Bahr is very aware of and committed to bringing our community together to build a vision and strategic plan that grows an educational environment which prepares all students for life beyond the Peninsula School District.”
The board will finalize the contract for Bahr at its regular meeting on Thursday, March 25, and she will officially assume the job on July 1.
Outgoing superintendent Art Jarvis retires on June 30.
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 9:41 AM.
