"Too Many Kids Land on a Couch" — Shelton Superintendent on What's Next After Graduation

"Too Many Kids Land on a Couch" — Shelton Superintendent on What's Next After Graduation

From KMAS Radio by Jeff Slakey

June 9, 2026 · 33 min · Episode 252

About this episode

Shelton Superintendent Wyeth Jessee discusses local education, student achievements, and challenges facing graduates in Mason County.

Shelton School District Superintendent Wyeth Jessee joins Jeff Slakey for an end-of-year conversation covering what families in Mason County and need to know about local education heading into summer. This week: the Class of 2025 earned nearly half a million dollars in scholarships. Third-grade reading scores have doubled in four years. And the district just completed 100 work-experience placements through its Career & Technical Education program. But Superintendent Jessee also shares what keeps him up at night: seniors who shrug when you ask them about their plan. He talks about what the district, and parents, can do differently, the "warm demander" approach to parenting teenagers, and a simple technique (borrowed from preschool) for getting your kid to actually talk to you in the car. Also covered: the Shelton Promise scholarship, community college affordability, the new School Links career-planning program (starting in 7th grade), the district's next strategic plan, enrollment trends, and what the Peacock Ridge development could mean for Shelton schools. RESOURCES MENTIONED: • Shelton School District: sheltonschools.org • Shelton Promise Scholarship — ask your school…

People in this episode

Host: Jeff Slakey

Guest: Wyeth Jessee

Topics covered

  • education
  • scholarships
  • career planning
  • parenting
  • local community
  • student success

Keywords

  • Shelton School District
  • scholarships
  • career planning
  • parenting techniques
  • education trends
  • student enrollment
  • community college

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Shelton School District, Evergreen State College, Shelton Promise Scholarship, CTE / Work Experience Program

Places: Mason County, Shelton, Peacock Ridge

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