Outstanding Educator award goes to Valley district’s Joel Aune

Published 3:53 pm Friday, June 1, 2012

Snoqualmie Valley School District Superintendent Joel Aune was honored with the Snoqualmie Valley PTSA Council’s Outstanding Educator Award for the 2011-12 school year.

The award was presented at the PTSA council’s showing of “Race to Nowhere,” in North Bend May 21, and council president Liz Piekarczyk announced the award again at the May 24 meeting of the district’s school board.

Aune’s accomplishments that led to the recognition are also the district’s accomplishments, including:

Washington Achievement Awards that have gone to several district schools, for performing in the top 5 percent of schools in the stateMount Si High School made the College Board AP achievement list for the second year in a rowSnoqualmie Valley School District was recognized among the top school districts in the nation for return on educational investmentState standardized test scores, as well as SAT and ACT scores exceed statewide averages and continue to improve. The district’s ability to cope with unprecedented state funding cuts without significant teacher layoffs or class size increases.

Aune was elected president of the Washington Association of School Administrators last year, and in 2009, received the WASA Superintendent Award of Merit for the King/Pierce County Region.

Piekarcyk said the PTSA Council board also appreciated Aune’s accessibility, and his willingness to come to any PTSA meeting, when asked.