# Shelton Schools Superintendent: "Put a Book in Kids' Hands, Not a Phone"

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/kmas-radio-6380084/shelton-schools-superintendent-put-a-book-in-kids-hands-not-a-phone
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/kmas-radio-6380084/shelton-schools-superintendent-put-a-book-in-kids-hands-not-a-phone.md
Podcast: [KMAS Radio](https://stenobird.com/podcast/kmas-radio-6380084)
Published: 2026-05-01T13:12:49+00:00
Episode link: https://kmas.transistor.fm/episodes/shelton-schools-superintendent-put-a-book-in-kids-hands-not-a-phone
Audio file: https://2.gum.fm/op3.dev/e/pdcn.co/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/pdst.fm/e/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/prfx.byspotify.com/e/media.transistor.fm/23661823/97059c94.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/kmas-radio-6380084/episodes/shelton-schools-superintendent-put-a-book-in-kids-hands-not-a-phone
Duration seconds: 1659

## Resource

Shelton School District Superintendent Wyeth Jesse joins Jeff Slakey for a wide-ranging conversation about what's happening in Mason County classrooms — and what's coming next. On this episode: a look back at the latest school board meeting and the marimba performance from Mountain View Elementary; the federal funding cuts threatening multilingual education programs; the departures of two longtime Shelton High School administrators, Ed Stewart and Bruce Kipper; how today's seniors — who started high school during COVID — are finishing strong; and the district's bold goal of having more than 50% of third graders meeting state reading standards. Plus, Wyeth announces a brand-new K–5 homeschool resource center launching for the 2026–27 school year, talks honestly about why district enrollment is shrinking, and explains why staff members — including the head of HR — are choosing to send their own kids to Shelton schools. And in the most candid stretch of the conversation: the superintendent's case for putting books — not devices — in students' hands, what national assessment data really shows about screens and learning, and why writing might be the single most powerful tool in education. Got a question for the superintendent? Email Jeff@kmas.com for the next visit. #FocusOnShelton #SheltonSchools #SheltonWA #MasonCounty #KMAS #KMASRadio #PNWPodcast #WashingtonEducation #PublicEducation #Superintendent #SchoolBoard #ScreensAndKids #SmartphonesInSchools #Homeschool #EarlyLiteracy #ThirdGradeReading #COVIDRecovery #MultilingualEducation #SheltonHighSchool #MountainViewElementary

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/kmas-radio-6380084/episodes/shelton-schools-superintendent-put-a-book-in-kids-hands-not-a-phone/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/kmas-radio-6380084/shelton-schools-superintendent-put-a-book-in-kids-hands-not-a-phone.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.