Clover Park Schools Hires New Employment Director

Luck and layoffs don’t usually go hand in hand.

Lori McStay is the exception.

McStay found her way into her new position as the director of employment services for the Clover Park School District after receiving a reduction-in-force notice at her former job.

She was notified on Feb. 25 that she would be let go as director of human resources for the South Kitsap School District as the Port Orchard-based district faces a $6.5 million budget shortfall.

Exactly one month later, Clover Park came calling with a job offer.

And on Tuesday—Day 5 on the job—she sat in her half-unpacked office and reflected on her career’s new direction—and the fact that she dodged a single day of unemployment as her contract with South Kitsap was set to end June 30.

“Timing was everything,” she said. “These positions are not coming open. It’s challenging times.”

McStay said that coming in at the end of a school year lends itself to some advantages.

“It sort of aligns with the way I sort things,” she said. “You really are wrapping up the year, but you’re also starting the new year. We’re recruiting toward the new year, staffing toward the new year … There’s a lot going on, and I’m learning a lot about the process.”

As director of employment services, McStay is in charge of managing employment and recruiting—“making sure we’re staying connected to colleges and universities that have good educational programs (and) locations that provide us a diverse applicant pool.”

“No matter if you’re going through a reduced educational plan or not, there are still some areas that we’ll be hiring for,” she said, citing special-education teachers, speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists as examples, even as CPSD faces a $5.6 million shortfall.

McStay also hopes to develop a training program for substitute teachers in CPSD—something that she did in her previous job—to teach them the curriculum and best instructional practices, so that when they step into a classroom, “there is continuity in the education program.”

“I say, gone are the days that you hand a substitute a video and say good luck,” she said. “We really have to have a higher expectation for the delivery of educational program from our substitutes, and in order to do that, we have to train them.”

McStay is no stranger to learning new processes herself. Despite earning a degree in Workforce Education and Development, she initially went to work in the banking industry. Once her children started school, though, she sat down to re-evaluate her passions and values.

“I have a strong belief in education, and having my children in public education, (I wanted) to make a big impact and influence the educational process.”

She went to work in the North Thurston School District, first in a support role at a middle school. Nine years later, she moved to Gig Harbor—where she still lives—and into the position of human-resources director at South Kitsap.

McStay doesn’t have hard feelings about the loss of her job, though. She was one of two administrators let go. If anything, she said, she respects the district for being forthcoming with the news.

“South Kitsap has done a remarkable job in finding ways to be resourceful and responsible,” she said, “and as time has gone on, it’s gotten more and more challenging.”

And while she has gained firsthand experience, McStay maintains that isn't the most important thing.

“It’s about the impact to kids,” she said. “There’s nothing easy about that—finding ways to do more with less. Even those that aren’t impacted directly by receiving a reduction-in-force notice, it’s those that are left behind.

“I still have a part of myself at South Kitsap, knowing what they’re going through with less.”

But she is also excited to jump headfirst into her new position and learn the Clover Park way.

“I come in with an open mind,” said McStay, who enjoys boating and golfing in her spare time. “I really want to learn what’s happening here and contribute where I can. But if things are working well, I certainly don’t want to come in and change (just) to change things.”