Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 4, 1998
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Leonard Aron to head Washington School for the Deaf

OLYMPIA - Gov. Gary Locke today named Leonard Aron of the North Carolina Department of Human Resources as superintendent of the Washington State School for the Deaf.

Aron, 46, currently is the senior school administrator for the division of services for the deaf and hard of hearing in Raleigh, N.C. He leads three educational management teams and a central office team, supporting 625 employees and managing a $24 million annual operating budget.

"I am delighted Leonard will be joining our team at the Washington State School for the Deaf," Locke said. "I look to Leonard to guide the school as it improves its programs to meet the needs of hearing-impaired children."

Aron has 15 years of experience in administration and management. He also worked in South Dakota and New York, focusing on learning and teaching methods, school-to-work partnerships with community businesses and mental health programs.

He earned his master's degree in education from the State University of New York and has done post-graduate work in administration and management from the University of Rochester in New York.

Aron assumes his new duties July 13, 1998, and his annual salary is $84,287.

The Washington State School for the Deaf is a fully accredited residential school for deaf and hearing-impaired children who are Washington residents. The school provides a full range of educational and recreational activities in a 24-hour program tailored to the needs of the hearing-impaired. The school is located near the Washington State School for the Blind in Vancouver.

The campus covers a 27-acre site and has three dormitories, a high school and elementary school, a vocational school, a gymnasium and a number of other buildings.

The Legislature appropriated $3 million for work on existing buildings and $4.6 million for three new 24-resident cottages to replace two existing dormitories.

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