Bethel superintendent wins praise.

Byline: Anne Williams The Register-Guard

Even on the first of his 78 visits to district schools this past year, Bethel Schools Superintendent Steve Hull felt right at home.

"I didn't feel for me, personally, there was a break-in period at all," said Hull, who moved from Reno, Nev., for the job a year ago. "I felt comfortable from day one."

People in the schools seem to like him, too, say school board members, who voted Monday to approve Hull's second-year contract following an annual performance review last month.

"I hear a lot of people are very pleased with him," said Alan Laisure, who was elected board chairman Monday. "People feel his door is always open to them."

Hull, 53, is only the fourth superintendent in Bethel's history. His predecessor, Kent Hunsaker, earned consistent high marks throughout his 16 years with the district.

Hull's evaluation last month was done in closed session, but he and board members described it as "very positive."

Longtime board member Paul Jorgensen said Hull's strengths include networking with other community leaders and zeroing in on data and research to boost student achievement.

"He's a real linear person," Jorgensen said. "He feels a great responsibility for keeping us informed. He wants to move the district ahead and focus on student achievement and curriculum."

Laisure said Hull is an extremely hard worker and has high expectations for others.

Hull said it's been a "wonderful" first year, despite the fiscal woes that have touched Bethel and most school districts statewide in recent years.

"I was told the funding situation in Oregon was unstable and inadequate, and they're both in Bethel," he said. "It more than lived up to those two descriptions."

In the coming year, he said, he plans to "slow down a bit" on the administrative and organizational changes he's pushed for, but pledged to keep marching ahead on student achievement.

"I was hired by the board to really help us focus more strongly on teaching and learning and meeting the requirements of No Child Left Behind," he said, referring to President Bush's accountability-centered education reform law. "That will continue. That really is the focus."

To that end, the district has launched a long-range planning effort with the community called the Exemplary Student Performance Project, or ESP-2. Public work sessions will be held Aug. 12 and 13 to generate ideas and goals for student success.

Hull outlined a list of additional "areas of focus" for this year. They include better informing the board about initiatives and operations; conducting a "bottom-up" review of the budget that looks at every school and department; becoming more engaged in service clubs and the community; and taking a more "systemic" approach with district activities, operations and requirements.

After Hull went through the list, Jorgensen said it's important for him and the board to keep up employee morale by concentrating on the "great things that are happening" as much as the areas needing improvement.

By mutual agreement, the board granted Hull no increase on his $104,000 annual pay.