Spokane Public Schools’ Adam Swinyard named Washington Superintendent of the Year

The Washington Association of School Administrators called Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Adam Swinyard a “champion of equity” as it named him the state Superintendent of the Year.

The honor, announced Friday, was made during the association’s fall meeting in Spokane.

“Dr. Swinyard is a champion for equity, as he brings a consistent and unwavering commitment to achieving more equitable outcomes for all students in the Spokane Public Schools,” said Joel Aune, the executive director of WASA.

Aune cited the district’s commitment to addressing disproportionality in student discipline.

“This systems approach has produced the creation of a more inclusive and connected school community that operates with a focus on serving the individual needs of students,” Aune said.

The district recently announced that it set a record-high graduation rate of 90.2% last spring. Spokane is the third-largest school district in the state, with about 30,000 students.

It also expanded opportunities for preschool children.

Swinyard credited others for the award.

“What I do know is that we have an amazing group of families, adults and community members who are doing incredible things for kids,” Swinyard said.

Swinyard, who is from Deer Park, joined the district in 2013. After several years as principal at Sacajawea Middle School, he was where he worked as a principal at Sacajawea Middle School before becoming the district’s associate superintendent for teaching and learning and director of secondary schools.

Swinyard was elevated to superintendent in summer 2020 after Shelley Redinger left for a similar position in Richland.

He was also nominated in 2015 and 2016 by the Association of Washington School Principals for its Washington State Middle School Principal of the Year and was a recipient of the association’s Regional Principal of the Year in 2015.

As the state’s Superintendent of the Year, Swinyard will be a candidate for the 2023 American Association of School Administrators’ National Superintendent of the Year Award.

The national award will be announced in February during the organization’s National Conference on Education in San Antonio, Texas.

Washington’s Superintendent of the Year will receive a $1,000 check from D.A. Davidson & Company to use toward a school or educational program of his choice.