Sisters High School principal to step down

Sisters High School Principal Boyd Keyser will resign his post at the end of this school year. He made his long-rumored departure plans public last week in a front-page column for The Stampede, the monthly newsletter mailed to parents and other interested residents.

Keyser, 44, came to Sisters High four years ago after two years in his first job as principal, at Central High in Monmouth-Independence. He is under active consideration for several administrative posts, some outside of Oregon.

"One of the tough things about being a principal in Oregon," he told The Nugget, " is that any more all of us are simply butchers. We are just butchering up our budgets. All you do is cut, cut, cut and that's a hard thing when what you want to do is build programs and be able to say that you made a significant contribution."

Keyser cited several factors contributing to his decision, the primary one being the large number of administrators around the state retiring because of Public Employee Retirement System worries. This has produced "a lot of great administrative openings. The success that Sisters High School has enjoyed during the past four years helps me be a strong candidate for many of these positions."

Sisters was one of only four Oregon high schools to receive an "exceptional" rating on the annual state school report card last month.

Keyser tied the timing of his announcement to the fact that budget pressures may require some administrative cuts in Sisters next year.

"Rather than having to lay off another member of our administrative team and then have me leave, it is better to announce my intentions now."

Superintendent Steve Swisher, whom Keyser described as "a great mentor," expressed appreciation for Keyser's timing, saying it "helps us do a little financial planning and will give the new superintendent an opportunity to really put his or her team together and select a new principal through a real thorough process next year."

Swisher said he will make Bob Macauley interim principal of the high school when Keyser leaves and will give Jim Golden some of Macauley's former duties. Macauley is currently the vice principal as well as football coach. Golden is a special education teacher and coordinator of special education for the school.

Keyser will be leaving just as the Sisters district acquires a brand new superintendent and prepares for big physical changes (see related story, page 4). A new high school will receive its first students when the 2003-04 academic year opens in September. At the same time, the present high school building will become the district's new middle school. No decision has been made on the disposition of the current middle school building on East Cascade Avenue.

Keyser grew up in Milton-Freewater and La Grande and went to high school in The Dalles. He obtained a bachelor's degree from Western Oregon University in Monmouth and a master's from Linfield College in McMinnville. He was a teacher and head basketball coach at McMinnville High School for 10 years before taking the principal's job at Central High.

Reviewing his accomplishments at Sisters High, Keyser said "programs that affect kids directly" have been the most rewarding, including the IEE (Interdisciplinary Environmental Expedition) program, the Americana Project, the annual Veterans Day assembly, the Link adult-student mentoring program, changes in the alternative education program and several others.

When asked if he felt pushed or pressured to leave his job, Keyser said, "No. I'm going to leave feeling good about my time here. It's been a very great learning experience. I came in here as a really new administrator and so was able to try a lot of things. I appreciate the people who supported me in that effort, and I think it's paid off in a really fine program."