‘Relentless’: Pierce County superintendent to retire after decades of fighting for kids
Tom Seigel, one of the longest serving superintendents of the Bethel School District, will retire at the end of the school year. Colleagues and parents praised his strong leadership, passion for student success and relentless advocacy that spanned decades and transformed the district and community.
Often dubbed the unofficial mayor of the sprawling suburbs of south-central Pierce County, Seigel went above and beyond his duties as superintendent, pressuring state leaders for not only more funding for school buildings and programs but for more sidewalks, public transportation, health care centers, public pools and social clubs.
In his 23 years as superintendent, Seigel championed and developed the Pierce County Skills Center and played a key role in successfully passing three construction bonds, resulting in the construction and renovation of more than 16 schools, including the new Bethel High School.
Under his leadership, graduation rates increased over 20%. Bethel School District also became one of the few school districts in the nation to provide shelter for students experiencing homelessness, opened two school-based community health clinics, partnered with Pierce College to provide higher education courses on high school campuses, expanded early learning, improved school security and provided more free meals to students, according to Seigel’s administrative assistant Bev Martin.
Seigel plans to marry his fiance on Saturday and move to Colorado later this year to be close to his two daughters and seven grandchildren.
Those who know Seigel and his work mourned the loss of his leadership, but wished him well in his next phase of life. The school board begins interviewing candidates to replace Seigel soon and will explore what traits it’s looking for in a new leader.
A tenacious advocate
The Bethel School District faces unique challenges compared to other districts in the state because the Bethel School Board is the only governmental entity in this area, said Marcus Young, the school board president.
“Many times we feel like we’re on an island by ourselves,” Young said.
Despite not having the funds or authority of a city or municipality, the school district has had to embrace an advocacy role beyond education to address issues like the lack of street lights, libraries, public transportation and sidewalks, which weren’t being addressed by the county or the state, he said.
When it comes to advocacy, Young said, Seigel is the type of person who has a tough skin and isn’t afraid to apply pressure when needed.
“The man is 75 and as sharp as a double-edged sword,” Young said. “It did not matter who it was, he’s going to tell you what our students need, he’s going to tell you what’s lacking. He’s also going to tell you when you’re not holding up your end of the bargain.”
Shannon Scacciotti said Seigel came to the district at a time when there was a long history of failed levies and bonds, and the district lacked unifying factors to rally around. Scacciotti served on a parent advisory panel when Seigel was interviewing for the position.
Although she was nervous if he would be the best fit, Scacciotti said she’s happy she was dead wrong. She’s since worked with Seigel as a member of the district curriculum advisory board, advisory board member of the Pierce County Skills Center, levy and bond advisory boards, as well as on the Mid County Leadership Team and Fredrickson Clover Creek Community Council.
Scacciotti said it “has been amazing to witness” Seigel work tirelessly to rebuild broken bridges and trust in the community, as well as streamline communications to dramatically turn the district “from one of the least desirable in the state to a more desirable district by far” in the last 20 years. Seigel’s courage and ability to think critically and creatively helped him approach problems in a new way and find solutions, she said.
“I anticipate there will be a number of politicians who will be happy to see him retire,” she said. “He is relentless in his pursuit to keep our long-neglected community, students, families and school district in the forefront of legislators and county representatives who oftentimes will focus more on their own neighborhoods at the expense of our area.”
Pierce County Council member Amy Cruver, who serves District 3, said Seigel is a master of networking driven by a passion for education and compassion for students. In the decades she’s known Seigel, Cruver said, he’s worked hard to know all his state representatives and keep them informed on issues in the school district.
“You are not going to find any moss under his feet,” Cruver said. “He sees needs and he sets goals, and through his persistence and indestructible focus he finds joy in checking the box.”
Cruver said the county is limited on what projects it can fund or prioritize, and said the state directs where most of education funding is spent. Support for initiatives like sidewalk improvements have separate funding sources, “but of course, it’s never enough,” she said.
Young said the district knows there won’t be another Superintendent Seigel, but that’s OK.
“Tom gave us a great blueprint for how to advocate, what advocating looks like,” he said. “He’s also surrounded by a great team.”
In the future the district wants to hire a superintendent who will be able to advocate for the district in a high capacity, knows the laws of Washington state and can navigate local politics, Young said.
Hopefully a new superintendent will be selected by the start of the new school year, but the board doesn’t want to rush the process, he said.
“We can’t afford to miss, because to miss — it sets our kids back,” Young said. “We’d rather be thorough and get the right person.”
The road to superintendent now ends
Decorating the walls and shelves of Seigel’s office are photographs of his time in the Navy and pictures of his family next to boxes of chalkboard chalk.
Looking back on his career, Seigel acknowledged he hasn’t taken the traditional path to superintendent.
Although Seigel earned his teaching degree, he decided that wasn’t the path he wanted to pursue and enlisted in the Navy in 1971. For the next 25 and a half years he worked as a naval intelligence officer, instructor, strategic intelligence officer and commander in various roles around the world. While in the Navy, Seigel also pursued his love of learning and teaching and earned three master’s degrees, taught at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs and worked on a doctorate at the UC Denver’s Graduate School of Public Affairs.
As he prepared for a teaching career at the university level, Seigel said he stumbled upon an out-of-place job posting for superintendent in Boulder, Colorado and figured, “If I can overhaul a nuclear powered ship, I could probably do superintendent work.”
After three years in that school district, he spent a year as a chief engineer for a technology company before coming on as Bethel Schools superintendent in 2001.
Seigel said he quickly saw that the Bethel School District area had “been neglected intentionally, and the resources directed elsewhere” in the county, so he set out to make things better.
“There was so much room for improvement,” Seigel said. “And I don’t know, once you get started on a project, you just don’t want to let go. You finally know all the basics and you see what could be and push toward that. We’re still not there.”
Seigel said he has mixed emotions about retirement. There are a number of projects he won’t be able to get done, including bringing a public swimming pool to the area and several more libraries.
In making the district a good place to work, Seigel said it has attracted extraordinary talent that “has magnified itself” over time. Working in the Navy Seigel said he had the opportunity to work for a lot of different leaders and said he wanted to be a leader who provided resources and supported entrepreneurial self-starters rather than be a micromanager. He said the district is left in good hands.
In the next few months Seigel will be selling his house and finding a new house to buy with his fiance in Colorado Springs. Their wedding ceremony is April 20. Seigel plans to continue running operations on a district level until June 30.
When asked if it’s going to be hard for him to hang up his hat and move away, Seigel paused.
“Well, we’ll find out,” he said. “I will find something to do, I’m sure.”
This story was originally published April 17, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
