Crescent superintendent to retire after 41 years, multiple jobs

JOYCE — Teacher. Principal. Basketball coach. Athletic director. Drivers ed instructor.

Superintendent David Bingham has held nearly every title in the Crescent School District.

In June, he’ll add one more: retiree. Bingham plans to step down in June after 41 years with the district.

Bingham said the decision came after a period of reflection that began during a medical leave last fall.

“I always kind of thought in my mind that 65 was a magic number, and I’ll be 65 in March,” Bingham said. “The time off gave me some space to figure out if my ducks were in order and if this was the right thing to do.”

Although the official announcement came at Thursday’s school board meeting, his stepping down was “the worst-kept secret in Joyce,” he said.

Trisha Haggerty, whose son attends Crescent School, served on the board from 2011-2023, the last seven years as chair.

“No one cares more about Crescent School than Dave,” she said. “He is 100 percent committed. He’ll be missed.”

Bingham said his path to education began at Port Angeles High School in instructor Sandy Keys’ history class. He recalled discovering an enthusiasm for the subject, which made it clear he wanted to become a teacher.

That experience led him to pursue a history degree and earn a teaching certificate, setting the course for a four-decade career in education.

Bingham joined the district in November 1984 after he graduated from Linfield College. He was initially hired as a paraeducator and assistant basketball coach.

The following year, he moved into a full-time teaching position, instructing middle school and high school students in subjects ranging from English and U.S. history to driver’s education.

He remained in the classroom for many years while coaching and later serving as athletic director, a position he held for 15 years. In 1992, he earned a master’s degree in sports management and gradually took on additional administrative responsibilities, including principal of the district’s alternative learning program, Olympic HomeConnection and assistant principal, before he was hired as superintendent in 2016.

He briefly explored opportunities in other districts.

“In 2000, when I earned my administrator certificate, I applied and interviewed elsewhere,” he said, laughing. “Nobody else would hire me.”

As superintendent, Bingham oversaw a period of steady facilities improvement in a district that has not passed a bond measure since the mid-1970s. Instead, Crescent has relied on capital levies to fund roof replacements, sidewalk repairs, gym and locker room renovations, cafeteria improvements and safety upgrades.

“We’ve really tried to invest in buildings that we believe will still be part of the system 25 or 30 years from now,” Bingham said. “I don’t want to throw money into something only to tear it down a few years later.”

Financially, Bingham said the district is in a strong position, aided significantly by timber revenues that have allowed it to address deferred maintenance.

When something needed to be done at Crescent, Haggerty said, Bingham did it — like earning driving the van transporting students to athletic events.

When it comes to what he is most proud of, Bingham pointed not to budgets or buildings but to students.

“When I look at what kids have done after Crescent — where they are today — that’s the most rewarding part,” he said. “We have students who’ve gone on to be pharmacists and lawyers, and students who’ve done very well in the trades.”

He said it is especially meaningful to see former students who struggled in school later find stability.

“Twelve to 18 can be a tough time,” Bingham said. “Some people navigate that more smoothly than others.”

Looking back over his career, Bingham said some things about students have remained constant.

“Kids want to be safe. Kids want to know what to expect, and they want to be given some hope and ideas about their future,” he said.

Bingham met his wife, Janice, who was an assistant at his father Vance’s dental office. They married in August 1984 and have two sons, Kyle, who lives in Port Angeles, and Ryan in Colorado, and five grandchildren. After his mother, Rosalee, died in 2021, he and Janice purchased her house – the same one he grew up in near the high school. (Vance Bingham died in 2015.)

As retirement approaches, Bingham said he has no firm plans beyond spending more time with family and tackling long-delayed projects at home.

“I’m not sure if my first day will be with a paintbrush in my hand or a steering wheel,” he said.

What he is certain of, he said, is that 41 years passed quickly.

“It went by really fast.”

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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.