John Parker has teaching and administrative experience on three continents, but believes he’s “coming home” after being chosen as the next Central Valley School District superintendent on Saturday.

On July 1, Parker will replace Ben Small, who is retiring after 14 years as CV superintendent.

Parker grew up in the Puget Sound area and has served as a teacher and administrator in Western Washington, China, and currently in Colombia.

But that dream began at Washington State University, where Parker earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1988 and a master’s degree in 1997.

Parker also has extended family in Spokane, but Central Valley’s main attraction is “the excellence of its schools and the strength of its community,” he said Saturday afternoon.

Parker was in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday and about to catch a flight to Colombia, where he has run an international school in Bogota for three years.

Parker also worked from 2003 to 2006 as a teacher and principal at an international school in Shanghai, but most of his experience was as a teacher and administrator in Puyallup, Washington.

Parker grew up in Sumner, not far from Puyallup. He got into education because he “wanted to connect with kids as a teacher, have them find relevance in their education, and experience how amazing it can be to engage. in learning”.

After graduating from high school, Parker worked for 15 years as a high school teacher in Puyallup, a district of 23,500 near Tacoma. He returned from China in 2006 to become an educational science coach at Puyallup. Three years later, he worked in Special Services, supporting Title 1 and the Learning Assistance Program.

From 2010 to 2013, Parker served as Director of Instructional Leadership for K-12 Math and Science. For the next two years, he was Director of Educational Leadership at Puyallup, specializing in technology integration.

From 2015 to 2019, Parker served as zone superintendent with responsibility for approximately 8,000 students.

That varied experience was a major factor in the decision to hire Parker, board chair Cynthia McMullen said Saturday.

“His broad and diverse educational experience and innovation stood out in the interview process as well as his clear commitment to our students and our community,” McMullen said. “We look forward to working with him – together with all of our stakeholders – to continue to build on the good work within the Central Valley community we all proudly call home.”

It was also a point of attention for Parker, who said he was “looking forward to meeting the community players and doing a lot of listening, rolling up my sleeves and taking on the challenges of the pandemic and working hard to unify the district and bring groups together. »

Although he’s been overseas during the pandemic, Parker said he and his colleagues face the same challenges they’ve faced in the United States.

“We’ve had to provide holistic help, the socio-emotional aspects in many ways,” said Parker, who promises to work to alleviate learning loss and other issues related to the pandemic.

“I want to thank you for the confidential vote. I am honored to be the next Superintendent of Central Valley,” Parker said.

The other nominees were Tavis Peterson, assistant superintendent of the Wapato, Wash., school district; Troy Tornow, deputy superintendent of the District of Educational Services in Southeast Washington; and Oscar Harris, family and community engagement manager at Spokane Public Schools.

Each finalist spent a day meeting with school officials and staff, students and community members.

As part of the selection process, high school student leaders from the Associated Student Body across the district met with each nominee and shared their comments and feedback with the school board.

“We have a lot to be proud of for these stellar student representatives from all of our schools,” McMullen said.

After taking Friday off, the board met Saturday morning and voted unanimously to hire Parker.

Parker will earn $234,272 a year in base salary.