North Wasco County School District Selects New Director

CJ Toole.

by Stephanie Bowen

The Dalles, Ore. July 18, 2023— North Wasco County School District (NWCSD) is pleased to announce CJ Toole as the district’s new Director of Intervention and Prevention.NWCSD has recently partnered with the Oregon Department of Education’s Intensive Program, which supports districts in advancing equity, authentically engaging their community, and strengthening district systems and capacity.

Participating districts receive additional grant-in-aid to supplement other ODE funding, such as Student Investment Account resources. The partnership will be in place for a minimum of 4 years, based on progress of identified areas of improvement.

This additional funding will allow the district to fund the Director of Intervention and Prevention position, which was identified as a critical need this past school year. In addition to overseeing the Intensive Program, the new position will focus on leading the development and implementation of comprehensive, evidence-based prevention and intervention programs, such as supporting classroom teachers in student behavior management.

Toole is a graduate of Western Oregon University, holding a BA in Social Sciences, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration from University of North Dakota. He has been with NWCSD since 2015, serving as the District Behavioral Specialist, and has an extensive history in youth services and other helping industries .

“The most exciting thing about my job are the teams and professionals I get to work with. We have some of the most caring and creative individuals, dedicated to helping kids, that I have ever been around” Toole remarks.

Prior to working for the school district, he served as the Director of the TOOLS Program, a Behavioral Rehabilitation Services stabilization program with NORCOR, as well as a past Case Manager and Program Coordinator for the Youth Care Center and Cognitive Self Change programs.

While passionate about his current work, Toole is excited about his new position, “I see this as a rather unique time in not just the history of education, but all of history, as we navigate a “post-covid world” and work to find, and apply, both proven strategies for intervention and prevention, as well as seek out new, evidence-based practices specifically designed to address the needs of our school district and community.”

He sees both the Director of Intervention and Prevention position and ODE’s Intensive Program are growth opportunities for the district.

“There is an opportunity to build upon the strengths we have in the district, to grow & evolve education in a positive way, so that the next generation are educated and engaged learners,” said Toole.