Two longtime principals in the Federal Way Public Schools district are retiring after spending decades with generations of local students.

For the past 16 years, Kurt Lauer has served as the principal for Federal Way Public Academy. Principal Jeff Soltez has spent 21 years combined as principal in Federal Way at Panther Lake Elementary, Lakeland Elementary and Enterprise Elementary schools.

For their dedication to creating thriving communities within local schools and helping students succeed, Lauer and Soltez are the Mirror’s Hometown Heroes for the month of June.

Federal Way Public Academy Principal Kurt Lauer

For Principal Kurt Lauer, relationships have a trickle down effect that turns into full-circle success.

If a teacher feels supported by their school and administration, they love coming to work and will do their job well. When students feels supported by their teachers, they excel in the classroom. Parents who feel understood and confident in the educators become fierce supporters of the school.

“Education really is a relationship business,” he said.

In his two decades with the Federal Way Public Academy, Lauer has also taught history since 2001 and continued to teach after he took on the principal role in 2004. Lauer has been the academy’s longest serving principal since the school’s inception in 1999.

“I’ve never not taught, even this year,” he said. He fought to keep the school’s population small — around 300 kids in total — which also allowed him to connect with each student and their family.

The academy, also referred to as FWPA and located at 34620 9th Avenue S., offers a rigorous college-prep curriculum and students are placed through the Choice Enrollment program via a lottery system.

Earlier in his career, he never had the desire to be a principal for a school, but he wanted to be part of a unique education system — a place with a high academic program based on relationships. “That’s what interested me,” he said. “I feel very lucky to be here.”

The curriculum’s vision has always been to provide a higher level of education, comparable to private schools such as Annie Wright in Tacoma, Lauer said, but for free. The only requirement to attend the academy is to live in Federal Way, and the lottery system is the most fair way to bring in students.

His goal has always been to create an atmosphere that is the best place for kids to come to school, the best place for parents to feel supported, and the best places for teachers to work.

“It comes naturally,” he said about building relationships and having a staff dedicated to the same efforts. “You find people who care. You can’t teach that.”

FWPA serves grades six through 10, a time in students’ lives when they crave independence, but still need to be held accountable, to be heard, and to be held to high standards, he said.

Whether in the academy or as an alumni, parents and students praise Lauer for his exceptional care and ability to connect with others.

“If my interactions with other people have added value to their lives, then I feel really grateful,” he said. “What I try to do is make people feel comfortable and accepted … and make it a place for everyone, no matter where you’re from.”

In his retirement, Lauer plans to reach his goal of visiting 100 countries (to date, he has visited about 81 countries), but will first start with a backpacking trip to northern Alaska.

Federal Way has served as his other home for two decades, said Lauer, who lives in Seattle.

That will change. But the impact he has shown generations of FWPA students will remain a part of history.

Enterprise Elementary Principal Jeff Soltez

Principal Jeff Soltez believes when we all work together, there is nothing that can’t be accomplished in the service of students.

Soltez’s began his teaching career in 1990 as a special education and regular education teacher in the Kent School District. In 1998, he became principal of Panther Lake Elementary — a position he was passionate about since earning his master’s in school administration.

After 3 years, his wife was transferred to Ft. Riley, Kansas, and the couple moved to Topeka, Kansas, where Soltez served as principal of Ross Elementary for two years before returning to Washington.

He was rehired in Federal Way Public Schools as principal of Lakeland Elementary for nine years, and has served as principal of Enterprise Elementary for the last nine years.

“I feel privileged to have worked with outstanding teachers and amazing school administrators and earned the trust of four school communities,” he said of his in-state and out-of-state roles.

Soltez has also served on the Association of Federal Way Schools Principals board for 10 years, serving four terms as president. He has mentored interns and assistant principals who later became principals.

Education has become a high stakes process for ensuring the future of scholars everywhere, he said.

“The jobs that someone could get 20 years ago without a high school diploma or a minimal education have vanished,” he said, adding that this puts more emphasis on the need for excellent teaching every day for every student.

An excellent teacher is key to the success for any student, he said, adding that the second key, as learned from Superintendent Dr. Campbell, is the school principal. And a district firmly committed to student success like Federal Way is a major factor, too, he added.

“I hope I have helped everyone that I’ve worked with to believe they can make a difference,” Soltez said. “Each person has the capacity to be that tiny ripple of hope that when joined together can make enormous differences in the lives of scholars, their families, and each other.”

Retirement for Soltez will include a lot of hiking, traveling, spending time with his six grandchildren, their parents, and his wife. He also plans to volunteer at church, and at local schools to stay connected to education.