Baker School District Admin Changes for 2023-24 School Year
By Garrett Christensen on Monday, July 24th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY – (Release from the Baker School District) Following Cassie Moore’s move from her role as Principal at Haines Elementary School to Superintendent of Burnt River Charter School, Heidi Stocks will move from South BakerIntermediate School (SBI) to fill the Principal role at Haines Elementary School. Buell Gonzales, Jr., who was set to become the Assistant Principal at SBI for the coming school year, will move into the role of Principal at the school, instead. The Assistant Principal at SBI will be another candidate from the hiring pool, Krystal Irby.
“We are really happy for Cassie Moore as she moves into her new role,” says Superintendent Erin Lair. “There was obviously a bit of a cascading effect with her move that we were fortunate to have worked out so well for the coming school year. Heidi Stocks grew up in Haines and is raising her family there, so she is a really natural fit for the Principal role at Haines Elementary. Buell Gonzales has already stepped into Admin duties at South Baker over the summer, so his move to Principal there for the coming school year also felt very natural. When Krystal Irby accepted the role of Assistant Principal at South Baker, everyone on the hiring team really felt like we were hitting the jackpot.”
Krystal Irby grew up in Baker County and graduated from Baker High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in secondary education science broadfield from Montana State University, and then taught middle school and high school science in Albuquerque, NM at Title 1 schools for 10 years. While teaching in Albuquerque, Ms. Irby earned her master’s degree in science teaching from New Mexico Tech and achieved National Board Certification for Teachers. Upon returning to Baker County, Ms. Irby earned her administrator’s license from Portland State University and worked as a professional learning specialist for WestEd.
“It is a privilege to return to Baker County and serve in the education community that raised me,” said Ms. Irby. “I am eager to begin working with the dedicated staff at South Baker Intermediate to support student learning and look forward to meeting the students and their families.”
The first day of classes for the 2023-24 school year will be Tuesday, September 5.
