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Superintendent


Superintendent, Eugene School District 4J 

Eugene, Oregon, United States | Full time 

Who We Are 

Eugene School District 4J (“4J”) is the seventh largest district in the state of Oregon, serving  approximately 16,000 students in 19 elementary school programs, eight middle schools, four  comprehensive high schools, and alternative high school programs. Set in the third largest city  in Oregon, the district spans 155 square miles in Oregon’s southern Willamette Valley, where  two large rivers and many smaller ones converge. The district’s mission is very clear and  straightforward - to do what’s best for all 4J students, to continue to learn and grow, and to  respect and care about each other. The seven-member Board of Directors grounds itself in the  guiding beliefs and values linked here. The successes and strengths of 4J are many, including its  keen focus on building a safe and inclusive school community through its All Students Belong Initiative. Highly regarded is the district’s robust school choice program which includes five K-12  language immersion programs, and an International Baccalaureate (IB) high school program on  multiple campuses. The district also includes five public charter schools. 

What You’ll Do 

Reporting directly to the Board of Directors, the Superintendent will serve as the face of the  district and will set the tone for the district’s key priorities. While 4J has many strengths and  successes to build on, we have more work to do to realize our vision to prepare all students for  success in life. In the current system, inequities exist among schools in terms of their ability to  address students’ educational needs. The permanent Superintendent will bring the vision and  leadership skills necessary to build on our successes to date, while tackling the challenges and  opportunities that lie ahead. Key leadership responsibilities for our permanent Superintendent  include the following: 

Your Key Responsibilities (The “What”) 

  • • Establish the vision and mission for aligned academic and non-academic programming for the district 

  • Keep students at the center of all decision making and ensure that every aspect  of the academic and non-academic programming works well for our students. • Ensure that the district’s mission and vision and key priorities are well-articulated  and well understood by our staff, partners and stakeholders.

  • Build on 4J’s successes and accelerate learning and innovation with a focus on  inclusion, belonging and social emotional learning. 

  • Develop innovative approaches to prepare our students for careers or college  while addressing systemic inequities that persist in order to improve the experience of students, teachers and families.

  • Continue to invest in early literacy and ensure that all students learn to read  confidently by third grade. 

  • Advocate for learning environments that fully support multilingual learners and  students with diverse learning needs. 

  • Promote and advance the progress of the multi-year All Students Belong  Initiative through the careful deployment of time, talent, and resources to  support the goals and milestones. 

  • Promote innovation in the classroom and support a diverse systems of schools

  • Identify and support opportunities for collaboration and learning across the  district's schools.

  • Continue to expand and strengthen program opportunities into neighborhood  schools, advanced placement offerings, and career and technical education.

  • Adopt instructional models and structures based on practices that are research  based, culturally responsive and demonstrated to be effective and desired by  families. 

  • Provide relevant, research based, and ongoing professional development and  learning support for teachers and school leaders. 

  • Lead and develop a strong workforce and build a positive work culture

  • Manage the day-to-day operations of the district within the policy parameters  adopted by the board, assuming responsibility and authority for the planning,  operation, supervision, assignment, and evaluation of the programs, services,  staff, students and facilities of the district. 

  • Recruit, retain, develop and inspire highly effective staff at every layer of the  organization, with a particular emphasis on diversity, fair and equitable  compensation, and the implementation of culturally-responsive education  practices. 

  • Create the working conditions for staff to collaborate, feel supported and do their  best work on behalf of the students they serve. 

  • Partner with and foster a trusting collaborative relationship with the board and the community 

  • Develop long-range plans, aligned with the board’s annual goals, vision and  priorities, consistent with population trends, community growth, cultural needs,  and appropriate use of district resources. 

  • Communicate and collaborate with all members of the board, keeping the board up-to-date on developments, initiatives and issues in the district; provide  leadership to enable the board to function effectively. 

  • Work closely and openly with the Board and its committees and foster an open  relationship and clear vision for role clarity between the Board of Directors and  the Superintendent.

  • Strengthen communication and collaboration with parents to enhance learning  for their own children and all children. 

  • Expand trust, partnership and connection with our community, learning what  matters to our families and our communities to inform key decisions and  priorities for the district. 

  • Create trusting relationships with community partners, advocacy organizations,  state/county leaders, and higher education institutions and offer solutions that  create value for students. 

  • Welcome students as partners in the decision-making process ensuring that  students' voices and feedback are heard at all levels of the organization. 

The Skills You’ll Need to be Successful (The “How”) 

  • Innovative, Inspiring and Demonstrated Educational Leadership 

  • Build on the organization’s past successes and commit to continuous  improvement through analysis, inquiry and assessment of results and alignment  to district strategic priorities.

  • Lead the organization through strategic planning and mobilize the community  behind a unified vision, goals and key priorities. 

  • Demonstrate belief and hold self and others accountable for reaching high  academic achievement of all students. 

  • Facilitate and secure buy-in for a clear and compelling vision of innovation and  organizational excellence. 

  • Lead courageously, centered in children, and seek out the voices of marginalized  communities to ensure diverse input on key decisions. 

  • Engage in transparency in decision making and share with stakeholders how their  input informed the district’s decisions. 

  • Authentic Relationship Builder and Courageous Communicator 

  • Serve as an ambassador for the students, building effective relationships with city  and community leaders, helping to tell the story of the district's successes, and  successfully advocating when needed to ensure that the district is able to meet  students’ needs. 

  • Challenge assumptions and preconceived notions when needed to avoid  distraction from core priorities and goals in the better interest of student success. • Build trust among board members, district staff, teachers, and leaders, and core  stakeholders to establish a shared vision for the district. 

  • Communicate effectively, tailoring messages for the audience, context, and mode  of communication. 

  • Possess the emotional intelligence to listen compassionately with an open mind - seeking to fully understand community members and stakeholders perspectives  before establishing the direction forward.

  • Navigate politically complex structures, relationships and dynamics to challenge  ideas and enable thoughtful decisions and positive outcomes for students.

  • Maintain visibility and self-awareness to motivate and collaborate with diverse  stakeholders at all levels. 

  • Ability to Manage Complex Organizations and Systems 

  • Commit to using a process of continuous inquiry and improvement, communicating results transparently and honestly while establishing the path  forward. 

  • Analyze complex, nuanced data and information from multiple angles and  exercise judgment in making critical decisions, and communicate the implications  to diverse audiences. 

  • Build, inspire, manage and coach an effective senior leadership team/Cabinet to achieve the goals and priorities aligned to the district’s strategic plan. 

  • Hold self and others accountable for high standards of performance,  communication, collaboration and transparency toward the achievement of key  goals and priorities. 

  • Model and foster conditions for professional growth and organizational learning  through continuous feedback, honesty, and coaching. 

  • Set priorities to maintain a high quality and equitable academic program within  the district's financial means. 

  • Advocate for Equity, Anti-racism and Inclusion 

  • Demonstrate cultural fluency, sensitivity and a strong equity lens to establish a  culture of growth and learning mindset around issues of equity and inclusion and  to meet the needs of our diverse students and staff. 

  • Recognize race and power dynamics playing out within our organization and  community at all levels and interrupt those inequities through honest and  difficult conversations and actions. 

  • Address matters of race, equity and bias in how decisions are made with clarity,  confidence, humility, historical context, and empathy. 

  • Foster, promote, and drive a culture of inclusion in the organization and commit  to improve DEI practices in the district’s planning, prioritization and  implementation of key initiatives. 

  • Build authentic relationships across lines of difference (race, ethnicity, gender,  age, socioeconomic background, LGBTQ status, etc.) both internally and  externally. 

What You’ll Bring 

  • A clear track record of improving academic outcomes for students with a keen focus on  data-driven decision making and equity, access and inclusion for all students.

  • 10 years of senior leadership experience with evidence of successful development and  organizational outcomes and effective operational and fiscal management.

  • Experience in  the role of superintendent preferred. 

  • Successful experience working in diverse economic, multicultural, and multilingual  communities and environments. Proven cultural-competence skills with a history of  inclusive and relevant equity practices. 

  • Advanced knowledge of public school policy and law, procedures and management.  Thorough understanding of national, state and local educational goals and standards  required to advance PK-16 public education. 

  • Demonstrated experience building consensus and trust, working in conjunction with a  board to identify priorities, establish goals, monitor progress, and produce outcomes in  service to stakeholders. 

  • A growth mindset and belief that continuous improvement happens through constant  learning. 

Benefits 

Salary for this integral position is competitive, commensurate with prior experience, and  typically in the range of $220 to $230K. In addition, a comprehensive benefits package  will be included in the ultimate offer. We look forward to discussing details with you as  the interview process progresses. 

Eugene School District 4J is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed  to diversity and valuing the cultural, educational, and life experience of each student and  employee, as well as equitable outcomes for all students. Eugene School District 4J is  committed to the support and development of a culturally competent workforce. As part of  our commitment to diversity, persons of color and people with disabilities are encouraged  to apply. The District is also committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities  Act. Any applicant with a qualified disability under the ADA may request accommodation  by contacting Human Resources. 

How to Apply 

Alma Advisory Group is delighted to be supporting Eugene School District 4J on their search for  the next Superintendent. Please apply at:  

https://apply.workable.com/almaadvisorygroup/j/474C78E4C3/.

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