{"id":15378,"date":"2021-02-08T21:28:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-08T21:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/?p=15378"},"modified":"2021-02-08T21:28:00","modified_gmt":"2021-02-08T21:28:00","slug":"bcsd-finds-foudy-fitting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/2021\/02\/08\/bcsd-finds-foudy-fitting\/","title":{"rendered":"BCSD Finds Foudy Fitting"},"content":{"rendered":"

New superintendent to take helm officially July 1<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

By Eric Valentine<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
Jim Foudy, BCSD\u2019s new hire for superintendent.
Photo credit: Donovan Group<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And then there was one: Jim Foudy.<\/p>\n

Blaine County school board trustees believe it is the man who spearheaded successes in another Idaho mountain resort area that can heal any divisions left festering by fallout over its former superintendent and put together a strategy for bringing the local school district to the proverbial \u201cnext level\u201d of student achievement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI applied because I know I can help return focus to the students and the phenomenal staff at BCSD,\u201d Foudy told Wood River Weekly after learning about his successful job-seeking bid. \u201cFrankly, it was difficult for me to watch such an incredible school district go through the challenges you have faced in the past several years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each of the school board trustees at some point over the interviewing process remarked about Foudy\u2019s interpersonal, open, and friendly style. While personality is always important in selecting someone for a leadership role like superintendent, trustees were especially hard-pressed to find the right fit. Much of the parent and teacher collective gripe about former superintendent GwenCarol Holmes was style based. Parents and teachers claimed her tenure was not only marked by opaque processes but by retribution to anyone who didn\u2019t follow along, triggering a series of lawsuits against Holmes which the district had to settle or defend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI, for one, am laser focused on the finances of this district,\u201d said Trustee Dan Turner. \u201cJim Foudy has proven expertise in school district budgeting and fiscal policy. Furthermore, I believe he will be a leader who will make a real difference in our community. He is passionately committed to a system where no one is marginalized. He understands that his work takes persistence, empathy and determination. He hasn\u2019t just talked the talk\u2014he has walked the walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Idaho State Department of Education ranks Foudy\u2019s current McCall-Donnelly School District as a \u201cTop Performer\u201d and \u201cGoal Maker\u201d district. Top Performer means they rank in the 90th percentile or above on core indicators and\/or \u201cGoal Makers\u201d when meeting the annual interim progress measure toward the state\u2019s long-term goal in key indicators. There is no such indication for BCSD on the state\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

Since 2015, Foudy has served as superintendent of the McCall-Donnelly School District. He began his career with the Boise School District in 1996 as an elementary teacher. In 2003, he became an elementary principal for Donnelly and McCall elementary schools. Foudy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Boise State University, a Master of Educational Administration from the University of Idaho and an Education Specialist, Education Leadership degree from the University of Idaho.<\/p>\n

Although McCall and the Wood River Valley have resort-town atmospheres in common, the two districts have significant differences when it comes to student population. BCSD serves roughly 2,000 more students than McCall-Donnelly. BCSD is less than 54% white, McCall-Donnelly is more than 87% white.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to gain a deep understanding of the district and community. This happens over time through conversations and relationships,\u201d Foudy told Wood River Weekly. \u201cThere is also an analysis that I will be engaging in, looking at student achievement data, financial records, survey feedback, strategic plan efforts, etc. I’m also learning about the equity task force and hoping to start learning with that team soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the contract officially starts July 1, Foudy says he has already started diving in.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a mindset of curiosity, without judgment,\u201d Foudy explained.<\/p>\n

Foudy and his wife and kids have not decided yet in which part of the Valley they\u2019ll choose to reside.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to sell our house and then look at options. We\u2019re at the mercy of the market,\u201d Foudy said. \u201cIdeally, it would be \u2018centrally located\u2019 so we\u2019re not commuting a ton. We have two children that will be going into fourth and sixth grades.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New superintendent to take helm officially July 1 By Eric Valentine And then there was one: Jim Foudy. Blaine County school board trustees believe it is the man who spearheaded successes in another Idaho mountain resort area that can heal any divisions left festering by fallout over its former superintendent and put together a strategy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_pvb_checkbox_block_on_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74,18,32],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15378","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education","8":"category-news","9":"category-schools"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15378"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15381,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15378\/revisions\/15381"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}