Building Better Schools for a Rapidly Changing World with Jon Holmen, Lake Washington School District
Building Better Schools for a Rapidly Changing World
Jon Holmen has spent nearly his entire career in one school district, starting as a third-grade teacher and working his way through nearly every role in between.
Today, as superintendent of Lake Washington School District, one of the largest districts in Washington, he’s thinking about how schools need to evolve for the students they serve today and the world they’re preparing them for.
Jon and Matt dig into how Lake Washington is building for the future, from a sustainability strategy shaped with input from students to decades of energy conservation work and the ongoing modernization of schools across the district.
They also explore what makes a great learning environment, the importance of school facilities serving the broader community and what it means to build around the needs of students today.
What you’ll learn:
- How Lake Washington SD’s sustainability strategy moved from individual school efforts to a district-wide plan, and the input from students that helped shape that roadmap
- The two decades of resource conservation work that’s saved the district more than $20 million, freeing up funds to go back into schools, staff and student programs
- The seemingly simple design decisions Jon believes can make a meaningful difference in the experience of students and staff
- The modernization plan that goes beyond classrooms — treating fields, pools and other facilities as assets that serve the broader community
- How Jon is approaching emerging technology in schools while keeping human connection, creativity and critical thinking at the center of education
- The evolving definition of college and career readiness and the growing need for multiple pathways to student success
“The most important thing that happens in our schools is human-to-human interaction.”
-Jon Holmen on keeping people at the center, as education and technology continue to evolve.
Watch the full conversation above or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn More
Lake Washington School District: Website | LinkedIn | Sustainability and Resource Conservation Action Plan
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