WVSD board member Williams stepping down after 32 years

When Jim Williams joined the West Valley School Board in November 1982, things were very different than they are today.

“Thirty-two years ago, we used to meet in your office,” Williams told Superintendent Gene Sementi at aboard meeting Sept. 10, after announcing he would be stepping down.

He also said there wasn’t a single computer in the district at that time.

Williams, 74, said he first became interested in the school board after serving as chairman of the senior all-nighter at West Valley High School. There was an opening, so he ran for the seat.

What he didn’t realize was the board was not in agreement and split on the issue of whether or not they should renew the superintendent’s contract. Board meetings were so crowded they were moved from the administration building to the Argonne Junior High theater.

“They were in some real crisis,” Williams said. “I walked into quite a mess.”

Williams said the discord eventually worked itself out after about a year after one member resigned and another was recalled by the voters.

“It was just a comedy,” he said. “It was a very tragic time.”

Over the years, Williams said the district has progressed, grown and has been recognized for its efforts.

“I take no personal credit for it,” he said.

The makeup of the district has changed, schools have been remodeled and the administration has brought in good people.

“It’s easy to leave now,” he said. “We are in great shape.”

Although many things have changed, Williams said one thing that hasn’t is the district’s mission: to educate students of West Valley to the best of their ability.

He said the district was able to pass the last bond in 2004 because they were able to show the voters the need for renovation and he is proud the district has passed every levy over the years.

Williams is retired from his day job. Over the course of his career, he’s been in business for himself, worked for Sterling Savings Bank, owned an A&W Drive In and a restaurant in Steptoe called the Wheel Inn.

Now that he’s stepping down from the board, he plans to travel with his wife of 37 years, Gayle, who taught for 34 years in Spokane Public Schools.

“She is part and partner in all of it,” Williams said of his wife. “I couldn’t do it without her.”

His five daughters all attended West Valley Schools: Linda Ingram lives in Omak; Lisa Slenes in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Barbara Bassuer lives in Spokane Valley; and Kimberly Polfer lives in Coeur d’Alene. Another daughter, Debra Stephens, is a Washington state Supreme Court Justice.

“I’m proud of all my daughters,” he said. “They’ve all done well.

He said stepping down now will offer the district a new set of eyes and he feels like he’s leaving it in good hands.

“It’s hard to walk away,” he said.