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St. Helens board declares superintendent vacancy, approves search and job posting and sets salary range
Summary
The St. Helens School District 502 board declared the superintendent position vacant, approved a superintendent search and job posting, set a salary range and appointed a board negotiator; public comment raised concerns about performance-based pay.
The St. Helens School District 502 Board of Directors declared the district’s superintendent position vacant, approved a search and job posting for a new superintendent and approved a salary range for the position during the board’s regular meeting. The board also appointed a member to negotiate the superintendent’s contract.
The hiring process drew public comment. Patrick Berkley, a St. Helens resident and soon-to-be-retired third-grade teacher at Columbia City Elementary, told the board, "you all know this is probably the most important thing that you can do is the hiring of a superintendent," and urged attention to consistent implementation and staff support. Berkley also warned against tying compensation too narrowly to test scores: "If my career had been determined solely on state test scores, I would have probably lost my job the first year."
Board members moved and approved the practical steps to begin hiring: declaring the vacancy, authorizing a superintendent search, approving the job posting as presented, approving the salary range as presented, and naming a board member to negotiate the contract. The board clarified during discussion that cash bonuses or a formal performance-based bonus structure for the superintendent are not a standard practice for the district. One board member said of such incentives, "that is not something that we do with superintendents."
Votes at a glance: the board approved the declaration of vacancy, approved the superintendent search, approved the superintendent job posting as presented, approved the superintendent salary range as presented, and appointed a board member to negotiate the contract (all motions moved, seconded and passed).
Board members discussed the salary range as a flexible baseline to attract candidates with differing experience levels; the precise numeric wording in the meeting record was unclear. The board also reminded the community of upcoming meetings connected to budgeting and the hiring timeline. An executive session under ORS 192.660(2)(a) preceded the board’s return to take the actions.
The board named Trinh Monahan (board member) to participate in contract negotiations. The board noted the next regular meeting will be April 23 and that a budget committee meeting is scheduled for May 7.
