New Baker School District Superintendent Casey Hallgarth talks about how things are going now that school is in session
By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Friday, September 6th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY – Casey Hallgarth (CH), Baker School District’s New Superintendent, is quickly getting up to speed on the district with the school year underway.
Elkhorn Media Group (EMG) staff recently spoke with Hallgarth to get some insight into how things are going so far.
(EMG) Well, you have a few days of the new school year under your belt. How does it feel to have the school year in full swing?
(CH) “Honestly, I can’t believe it is already September. I had my first official day at Baker 5J on July 1, in-service just a couple of weeks ago, and now one week of school is completed. Man, does the time fly by. We have a fantastic staff that has genuinely welcomed me to the district. I love getting out in the schools and seeing the staff and the students. I can’t wait to attend my first Baker Bulldog pep assembly and football game! I am truly humbled and blessed to be here.”
(EMG) What are you excited about working on now that you are with the Baker School District?
(CH) “There are several things I am excited about working on in the District. Working with the administration team and giving them all the support they need is vital through my lens. Giving them more accountability for their buildings and staff will significantly help. Also, we are working on bettering the staff through intentional professional development. Offering the staff some professional development that is meaningful to them will also go a long way—lastly, flying the Baker flag. The goal is to get everyone on this page and to promote our school district like no other. Working with community partners, community members, staff, students, and board members is critical to getting this to the next level.”
(EMG) What are your primary goals as a superintendent?
(CH) “My primary goals are to work on things that need to be tweaked or fixed and the things that are going well with the district, the goal is to build on those to make them even stronger. Every school in our district is doing amazing things with our students. We want to build on that momentum. Another goal is to build as many relationships with community members, partners, staff, and students as possible. The more people we have flying the Baker flag, our district will be better for. This will be done by being present for conversations.”
(EMG) While you are not new to Eastern Oregon, you are new to Baker City. What will you be doing to encourage a continuing positive relationship between residents and the district
(CH) “I plan to be out and about at many different events! My wife and I want to suck up as much as we can, as fast as we can. The fair was really fun to go to, and the restaurants are great here as well. I plan to build strong relationships with the community and have great conversations with them about making 5J better.”
(EMG) Is there anything else about you or the district that you would like to share?
(CH) “The goal for every district is to offer as much opportunity for each student as possible. When I get a question regarding the district, I always ask myself two questions:
1) Will what is being asked help the district?
2) Will it help the kids in our district?
If the answer to these two questions is “YES”, we should try to do everything possible to make it happen.”
