Dr. Sandy Husk appointed interim superintendent at Portland Public Schools
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland Public Schools has found its interim superintendent: Dr. Sandy Husk, who boasts 18 years of public school superintendent experience.
The PPS Board of Education announced the unanimous decision to appoint Husk Thursday evening. Husk matched the criteria set by board members Julia Brim-Edwards and Andrew Scott, the pair who led the recruitment process to find an interim superintendent, including promoting equity, having a proven track record as an effective school administrator, and having experience specifically in a large Oregon school district.
From 2006 to 2014, Husk served as the superintendent of Salem-Keizer Public Schools, an Oregon district second only to PPS in terms of size.
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The board said in a release that Husk will begin on Feb. 12, overlapping slightly with current Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero. Guerrero announced his resignation from PPS late last year, with his last day being Feb. 16. Husk’s tenure is expected to last five months until the end of the school year, through the end of June.
Still, Husk will have a lot on her plate in that short time. Husk won’t be a candidate for the permanent superintendent role, with the idea being the board wanted a person who would focus on work that needed to be done and not spend that time trying to land a job.
“We have really big work ahead of us so we can’t afford to have a seat warmer or just holding the superintendent’s title and sitting in the office,” Brim-Edwards said. “We need somebody who is going to rebuild relationships with teachers, somebody who is going to help us pass a local option this spring, someone who will help us settle the remaining contracts.”
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Husk recognized the challenges lying ahead of her during Thursday’s board meeting.
“I want to acknowledge that there will be a whole lot more hard work in front of us even during this short time.”
Husk steps into the role after a tumultuous past couple of months for PPS that included a month-long teacher’s strike. Though a new three-year contract was signed that included teacher pay raises, tensions between PPS staff and the administration proved high amid a truncated winter break that was shortened due to the strike.
For instance, hundreds of PPS teachers and thousands of students were absent for the make-up week during what would have been the break. In addition, the non-faculty staff of PPS — such as office workers, cafeteria staff and custodians — also voiced complaints to KOIN 6 News about the situation of suddenly having to show up for work on what was supposed to be a break.
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In the PPS Board’s release about Husk’s appointment, they cited one of her immediate areas of focus would be “working with the Board and PPS staff to rebuild relationships after the month-long teacher strike and implementing the new contract in partnership with the Portland Association of Teachers” as well as “finalizing contracts with other represented employees.”
Husk acknowledged the “challenging fall” endured by teachers, staff, parents and students.
“I have a strong belief in empowering all school employees with good data, best practices, and supports to promote student success in every classroom, every day.”
Husk brings to the role a positive reputation from her seven-year tenure at the Salem-Keizer School District, having raised the district’s graduation rate and lowered its dropout rate, among other accomplishments, the release said.
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Though the board has appointed Husk as interim superintendent, the search for a permanent replacement is still underway.
Herman Greene, a school board member, cited the unique challenges that a permanent superintendent of Oregon’s largest school district will face as one reason they’re hoping to make sure “that we don’t just get the right person, but we get the right person that’s right for Portland. It’s not like everywhere else.”
The permanent superintendent may come from within or outside of Oregon, but regardless, having Husk at the helm for now is something board members are excited about.
“Although they’re not going to be the one to take us all the way, they are a very good bridge builder,” Greene said.
It’s unclear how long it will take for the board to find a permanent superintendent to take over once Husk’s temporary tenure concludes.
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