After 18 years in Battle Ground Public Schools, Superintendent Denny Waters is set to retire at the end of the 2024-25 school year. He is relocating outside of Southwest Washington to live closer to family.
The Battle Ground board of directors approved Waters’ retirement at its meeting on Monday, Feb. 10. “The board of directors thanks Denny for his long service to Battle Ground students, families, staff members and community members,” said President Mary Snitily. “He is a visionary leader, and the legacy of his work will endure for a long time. We wish him all the best as he enters this new chapter.”
The board is currently reviewing options for selecting the next district leader. It will name a new superintendent at a later date.
About Waters
Waters has nearly 40 years of experience in education. In Battle Ground, he served as an assistant principal and executive director of special services before becoming the district’s deputy superintendent in 2017. In that role, he earned a 2020 Robert J. Handy Most Effective Administrator award from the Washington Association of School Administrators.
Since becoming superintendent in 2021, Waters has demonstrated a commitment to transparency, stakeholder engagement and fiscal responsibility. With input from staff, families and the community, he oversaw the creation of a new strategic plan focused on safe and caring environments, high-quality instruction and collaboration that cultivates trust. He formed student and citizen advisory committees to capture student input and increase communication with parents and community members on important issues such as facility planning. In 2024, local voters approved the district’s first-ever capital levy to make building repairs and create and update spaces for construction trades, culinary and health sciences classes. That same year, the district also received a clean financial audit by the Washington state auditor’s office.
Said Waters, “Working in BGPS and serving as superintendent has been the greatest honor of my professional career, and the decision to retire at the end of this year was a difficult one that I have been considering for a while. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with students, parents, guardians, staff and community members to move the district forward. I am confident that the foundation we have built will continue to support the district’s future success.”