South Whidbey schools hire Becky Bell to lead special education

Families navigating IEP meetings, evaluations and service access in South Whidbey schools will now have a dedicated director at the helm. The district named Becky Bell to lead special education and student services, restoring a full-time role after a nine-month review of student needs and community feedback.

The hire carries immediate weight for Island County parents because the position covers services for children ages 3 to 21, including preschool, elementary resource room, middle school resource room, high school resource room and life skills programming. South Whidbey School District serves about 1,117 full-time-equivalent students, employs roughly 125 full-time-equivalent staff and spans 60 square miles on the south end of Whidbey Island, where special education, student support and compliance work can affect access across multiple campuses.

District leaders said the need for a dedicated special education administrator surfaced more than 18 months ago during work on the superintendent search profile. South Whidbey posted the opening on April 14, and during the 2025-26 school year Principal Kayla Phillips bridged the leadership duties while also serving as middle school principal and director of curriculum. The district later launched a Special Education Advisory Council on February 5 and received an external program review on March 25 that recommended appointing a specialized director.

South Whidbey chose to restore the role as a full-time 1.0 FTE position, even though the outside review suggested 0.6 FTE. That decision signals the district wants more than a minimal fix: it is betting that a stronger leader can tighten compliance, improve family communication and stabilize the systems that surround IEPs, evaluations and student services. The district’s Child Find mandate extends beyond the regular classroom to children in private schools, public schools, highly mobile families, migrant children, homeless children and wards of the state, making the job central to early identification and access.

Bell comes to South Whidbey from the San Juan Islands, where she served as superintendent of the Shaw Island School District and previously as director of special services for the San Juan Island School District. The district said she brings more than two decades of experience in district and school administration, special education, alternative learning and state and federal program management, including leadership for two alternative high schools serving more than 400 students combined.

South Whidbey said Bell holds a doctorate in higher education with dissertation work in special education, a master’s in administration and a bachelor’s in liberal studies. She also holds superintendent, principal and program director licenses. Bell is scheduled to begin July 1 at the district office, giving the district a new lead before the 2026-27 school year and setting up a crucial test of whether families see faster coordination, clearer communication and more reliable support.