NorthEast Washington ESD 101

NorthEast Washington Educational Service District 101 promotes educational excellence by
delivering essential, cooperative services to schools and other learning communities.

NEWESD 101 service area: NEWESD 101 is responsible for the seven northeastern counties of the state, providing cooperative services in Adams, Ferry, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens and Whitman counties. NEWESD 101 is the state's largest ESD in the number of districts served, counties served and geographic region served.

Land acknowledgement: NEWESD 101 is situated on the ancestral land of the Plateau Peoples who inhabited the highlands between the Rocky Mountains and Pacific coast, a vast area including portions of Eastern Washington. Some of the region's tribes include the Spokane, Coeur d'Alene and Kalispel bands, along with those making up the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, who have occupied these lands since time immemorial. 

NEWESD 101 acknowledges the resiliency of these Indigenous peoples who have suffered trauma brought on by centuries of colonialism and racism. We extend our deepest respect and gratitude to Native peoples as original stewards of this land. 

We at NEWESD 101 are committed to restorative justice through inclusion and anti-racist actions.

NEWESD 101 quick facts: Service area (in square miles): 14,026 Public school districts served: 59 State-approved private schools: 45 State-approved charter schools: 4  Public school enrollment: 96,451 Private school enrollment: 7,299 Charter school enrollment: 482 Total regional enrollment: 104,232 Counties served: 7

Superintendent's message

With the 2024-25 school year well underway, I’m thrilled to hear such positive feedback from district leaders and educators about what a strong start it’s been for students and staff alike. My hope is that this momentum continues to build for each of you throughout the year.

As we celebrate a promising first quarter, it’s vital to recognize the importance of public support for education in sustaining this success. While our schools are full of optimism, recent indicators suggest that our communities may not prioritize public education as highly as in past years. A 2024 Elway poll of registered voters ranked education as the fifth-highest priority, trailing concerns like the economy, public safety, social services, and taxes. Furthermore, declining support for Educational Programs and Operation (EP&O) levies and bonds in several districts highlights a troubling trend, especially given the essential funding these provide for programs and facilities.

What’s driving this shift? Likely a combination of factors—economic pressures, recent challenges from the pandemic, and evolving social issues—all shape public priorities. However, these realities don’t necessarily reflect diminished support for education. As educators, we have a role in shaping public perception by actively sharing the exceptional work happening in our schools.

Educators are humble; they serve not for recognition but out of genuine care for their students. Yet, without sharing our successes, the public may only see the negative stories that often dominate media. My challenge to each of us is to share the extraordinary things happening in our classrooms, schools, and communities. Be intentional about telling your story. Celebrate student and family achievements, share daily victories, and highlight the ways your team maximizes resources and serves the community. If we don’t tell our story, someone else will.

Being an educator is one of the most impactful and rewarding roles there is. We have the unique opportunity to shape young lives and leave a lasting imprint on our communities. Let’s commit to not only making this year a success in the classroom but also to sharing our impact with the wider community. It’s time to tell our collective story—a story that reflects the dedication, passion, and positive influence of educators across our districts.

Thank you for all that you do, and let’s embrace the year ahead with a renewed commitment to excellence in our schools and in the stories we share. Here’s to continued success in the 2024-25 school year!

Robert Roettger
Superintendent
[email protected]
509-789-3500

Mission and History of ESDs
Statutory mandate: Chapter 28A.310 RCW
It shall be the intent and purpose of this chapter to establish educational service districts as regional agencies which are intended to:
*  Provide cooperative and informational services to local school districts;
*  Assist the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education in the performance of their respective statutory or constitutional duties; and
*  Provide services to school districts and to the school for the deaf and the school for the blind to assure equal educational opportunities.

Nine ESDs: A statewide network
There are nine ESDs in Washington, each serving a specific geographic region of the state. Click here for the Washington Association of Educational Service Districts.

History of ESDs:
Washington's nine ESDs have evolved from a system that began as 39 individual county offices of education. In 1969, the county offices were replaced by 14 regional offices known as Intermediate School Districts, or ISDs. Later consolidation reduced the number of districts to 12 in 1972; then nine, in 1977.

Five of the original 14 ISDs -- 101, 105, 112, 113 and 114 -- were largely unaffected by consolidation other than their eventual change in name from Intermediate School Districts to Educational Service Districts, or ESDs.

While the number of ESDs has been periodically reviewed, numerous studies have recommended no change from the present nine. Legislative studies in 1982 and 1995 commended the ESDs for providing affordable, high-quality service to schools.

In 2009 and 2019, the ESDs were recognized in 40- and 50-year anniversary celebrations at the state Capitol in Olympia.

The photo a right shows the staff of NEWESD 101 in its 50th anniversary year.

ESD numbering system: As seen in the accompanying map, each ESD carries a unique identifying number, ranging from 101 to 189, that appears to follow no particular sequence. In fact, the numbering system was a product of the 1970s' consolidations.

In 1972, ESDs 102 and 103 became ESD 123; and ESDs 106 and 107 became ESD 167. In 1977, the next round of consolidation turned ESDs 108 and 109 into ESD 189; ESDs 110 and 111 became ESD 121; and ESDs 104 and 167 became ESD 171.  

NEWESD 101 history: 
Locations: From its original home in the Spokane County Courthouse, pictured at right, the growing organization migrated to a pair of north Spokane locations in the 1970s and 80s before purchasing its current site on South Regal Street in 2001. A 5,000-square-foot educational conference/event center, behind the Regal office complex, was built the same year. In 2018, the agency expanded the event center with a 7,000-square-foot addition named in honor of former NEWESD 101 Superintendent Brian Talbott, Ph.D. 

Agency name: In 2009, the organization re-branded itself to more definitively reflect its regional identity and commitments. With "NorthEast Washington" added to its name, ESD 101 became NEWESD 101.

Leadership: One of the most important and inspiring figures in NEWESD 101 history was board director Carl Putnam of Inchelium, pictured at left. Putnam served on the first ISD board in 1969 and remained a director for 28 years. Upon retirement, he was the longest-serving educational director in the state, completing 50 years of total board service at the local and regional levels. 

Putnam was a driving forcing behind the ESD's successful development of satellite television in the 1980s and its expansion in the 1990s. He was renowned for his commitment to public service, his dedication to rural schools, his vision, wisdom and knowledge. He remained an articulate and steadfast supporter of public education until his death in 2018 at the age of 101. In 2019, a room in the Talbott Event Center was named in his honor.

Seven superintendents have led the agency through its history: Van Emerson, 1969-74; Ben Larson, 1974-75; Bob Price, 1975-81; Ed Luders, 1981-82; Brian Talbott, 1982-98; Terry Munther, 1998-2008; Michael Dunn, 2008-2022; and Robert Roettger, 2022-Present.

Nearly 40 years of history: At right, NEWESD 101 Superintendents Talbott, Munther and Dunn, photographed in 2019.