South Whidbey School District Names Jordan Young as Elementary Principal

Jordan Young will step into one of South Whidbey's most visible school leadership roles this summer, appointed principal of South Whidbey Elementary and the district's Grades 1–8 Alternative Learning Experience program, effective July 1.

The South Whidbey School District announced the hire in a press release March 12, closing a search that lasted roughly four weeks and drew at least three finalists to a public forum the following day. Young currently serves as assistant principal at Meadowdale High School and grew up in the Lake Stevens area.

She steps into the role as Susie Richards, who has led South Whidbey Elementary since 2019, prepares to retire at the end of the school year.

The district's release framed Young's selection around a quality it called systems-level thinking: the ability to see how decisions made in one corner of a school, whether around curriculum, staffing or facilities, ripple through everything else. Superintendent Becky Clifford pressed the point directly. "You cannot lead complex, interconnected schools by managing one problem at a time," Clifford said.

The release described Young as student- and staff-centered, and praised both her communication skills and the breadth of experience she has accumulated. "Throughout the selection process, Mrs. Young stood out for her systems-level thinking, her readiness to lead and the energy, vision and innovation she brings to her work," the release states. "Her depth of communication to students, staff and the communities she serves was evident at every stage of the hiring process."

Having worked at the elementary, middle and high school levels, Young brings a career arc the district called "uncommon at this stage" and said "speaks to both her range and her commitment to the full arc of student development."

At the March 13 public forum, Young pointed to her work implementing restorative practices at a previous school, which she said led to a significant decline in referrals. Communication, both within school buildings and with surrounding communities, ran through nearly every answer she gave to questions from the audience.

Young takes over the principal's office July 1, inheriting a school and an ALE program whose previous leader leaves after seven years at the helm.