Document text
53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 15, 2004 Steve Boyarsky will become superintendent of the Southern Oregon Education Service District in June. With support services like this television studio for producing educational programs, Boyarsky said the ESD will become more important to area schools. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Bright man for the job Steve Boyarsky receives high marks as choice for regional school district director By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Steve Boyarsky got his start in education by driving a school bus in Redmond, where his wife taught junior high in the early 1970s. In June, he’ll take the helm of the Southern Oregon Education Service District, which supports school districts in Jackson, Josephine and Klamath counties that serve 52,000 students — roughly 10 percent of Oregon’s school kids. While driving a bus, Boyarsky attended Western Oregon University to earn teaching credentials to cap off his science degree. He also picked up some great tips from the bus garage supervisor for keeping control of groups of kids, he said. His first science teaching job was in Medford, where he taught for nearly 20 years. He garnered a fleet of teaching awards, including being named Oregon’s representative in NASA’s 1985 contest to select a teacher to send into space. Had he been chosen, he would have been aboard the shuttle Challenger’s final flight in 1986. In 1994, his interest in improving schools drew him out of the classroom to the ESD, he said. He has worked in curriculum improvement and staff development and last year was appointed assistant superintendent. Advertisement "He is an absolute stand-out in education," said MaryBeth Munroe, who works with Boyarsky in the ESD’s school improvement and curriculum section. "He sees in people what they don’t see yet in themselves and puts them in a spot so they can achieve," she said. Munroe had taught 25 years in Eagle Point and Phoenix-Talent school districts when Boyarsky noticed her classes’ high test scores and asked her to share her strategies with other teachers. She started with workshops and three years ago took a job as a reading specialist at the ESD to help train teachers. "To use his skill at (recognizing potential) as superintendent will only make his impact greater," she said. ESD Superintendent Joe Crowder, who will depart May 31 to take a job near his family in Oklahoma, agrees that Boyarsky is the right choice for the district. "Steve is a very capable administrator who has been around the block enough to know educational issues in Southern Oregon and the role ESD can play," Crowder said. "He has a fantastic relationship with component districts and works well with the staff here." Whether in the classroom, administrative office or the community, Boyarsky builds relationships, say those who know him. He said he still finds himself chatting almost weekly with former students he sees in grocery stores and he plans to drop in this summer on a 20th reunion of a class he especially liked. "He’s just a regular guy," said Tim Mobley, director of instructional service at the Phoenix-Talent School District, who has known Boyarsky for 20 years. The two taught science at the same time in neighboring districts, and as Boyarsky raked in awards, he never got a big head, Mobley said. "He still stays focused on what’s important to kids," Mobley said. Serving special-needs children will remain the district’s top priority, Boyarsky said. The ESD spends about 70 percent of its budget on special education. It also offers districts technology support — from repairing overhead projectors to designing computer networks and providing Internet service, he said. The ESD has teleconferencing facilities and online classes and has a television studio to create educational programs. Such services will increase in importance as school districts face budget cuts, Boyarsky said. "As districts cut back, we will see what we can take on to provide service collaboratively and cost-effectively," he said. He describes the ESD as a research and development department for schools that can create pilot projects with shared resources, then hand off proven programs to school districts. Boyarsky serves on the ScienceWorks museum’s advisory board and Jackson County’s Cultural Coalition, and uses those connections to bring scientists and performing artists into schools. With Boyarsky’s help, ScienceWorks offers a scientific-inquiry program that teaches fourth- and fifth-grade students how to set up experiments and document results — a state standard kids must meet, said ScienceWorks Executive Director Christy Hostetler. The program trains teachers alongside students, so they get updated skills without having to be away from the classroom. "He lets us know what teachers and students need," she said. Ongoing training for teachers is another priority for the ESD, Boyarsky said. It will become more important as schools strive to meet the goals of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation, he said. He plans to hire a math specialist to train teachers and to create teams focused on specific subjects that can guide troubled schools through comprehensive changes. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers