PORTLAND, Ore. — Sandy Husk, a former Salem-Keizer Public Schools superintendent, will serve as Portland Public Schools (PPS) interim superintendent following Guadalupe Guerrero's resignation.
“I’m pleased to be in a position where I can use my professional experience to contribute to student success in Portland,” Husk said in a statement. “My job will be to provide continuity and support for policies, programs and a budget that strengthen learning for all students in Portland Public Schools. I believe the central office exists to support what goes on in every school.”
The PPS Board of Education unanimously voted in Husk Thursday evening. She has 18 years of experience as a public school superintendent, including for Salem-Keizer Public Schools from 2006 to 2014, PPS said.
“Dr. Husk matches our Board’s criteria for an interim superintendent,” said PPS Board Chair Gary Hollands in a statement. “She is an experienced school superintendent who led Oregon‘s second largest school district for more than 7 years and has a track record of promoting equity, proven instructional strategies and a culture of teamwork among all school employees.”
Husk's experience in education includes being a teacher, counselor and principal in elementary school, as well as an alternative middle school principal, according to PPS.
“You know she’s a superintendent who was very focused on advancing student achievement, getting more equitable outcomes for students,” said PPS School Board Member Julia Brim-Edwards.
Brim-Edwards and fellow board member Andrew Scott led the search for an interim superintendent. Husk stood out due to her experience improving student scores at Salem-Keizer, as well as her experience operating a school district undergoing budget cuts.
After reaching a deal with its teachers, ending a near-month long teacher strike, PPS administrators said they would have to cut costs to accommodate the new contract.
“We were definitely not looking for a placeholder or a seat warmer," Brim-Edwards said. "We needed somebody who could get in there, hit the ground running on day one.”
This comes as PPS continues to negotiate with other unions, who are looking for increases in salaries.
Students hope that Husk will also re-establish trust with families and staff after the teacher strike.
“We just came off a pretty big strike that was very historic," said JJ Kunsevi, a junior at McDaniel High School. "And I think it’d be great for her to re-mend those relationships.”
Husk was also a superintendent for public school districts in north Denver and Clarksville-Montgomery County, Tennessee, before moving to Salem. After leaving Salem, she served as the chief executive officer for a San Diego-based nonprofit, AVID Center.
She has a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Georgia; a master’s in guidance and counseling from the University of Colorado; and a Ph.D. in administration, curriculum and supervision from the University of Colorado, Denver.
Husk will start Feb. 12, as Guerrero is set to wrap up his term Feb. 16.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Portland Public Schools superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero set to resign
Guerrero was appointed in the summer of 2017 and has led Oregon's largest school district for nearly seven school years, including through the pandemic-era closures and remote learning and a contentious teacher strike that lasted nearly all of November, keeping students out of classrooms for more than two weeks of instruction time.
Guerrero's tenure has involved overseeing several major renovation and modernization projects including the rebuilt Lincoln High School and the new Benson High School set to open next year. The district also credited him with helping steer the $1.2 billion 2020 school bond to passage, bringing in funding for multiple renovation projects.
PPS said that they have begun the recruitment process for a permanent superintendent, but Husk will not be a candidate for the position.