Newberg‑Dundee board votes to terminate superintendent for cause
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Summary
The Newberg‑Dundee School District 29J board voted unanimously to terminate Dr. Steven Phillips for cause effective Feb. 14, 2025, following a recent investigation and an executive‑session review of personnel matters.
The Newberg‑Dundee School District 29J Board of Directors voted unanimously to terminate Dr. Steven Phillips for cause, with the board recording an affirmative vote and the motion carried at the open meeting after an executive session.
Board members moved the personnel action into the agenda and then voted on a motion stating "based on the information received from those recent investigation and pursuant to his current employment agreement that doctor Steven Phillips be terminated for cause effective 02/14/2025 from his employment with the Newburgh School District." The motion was seconded and the board chair called the vote; board members answered "Aye," and the chair announced the motion carried unanimously.
The personnel matter was discussed in executive session under ORS 192.660(2)(b), the statute the board cited at the start of the meeting when it announced the closed session. The board also reminded attendees that representatives of the media may attend the executive session but may not report deliberations from it beyond the general subject announced publicly.
Nut graf: The termination is a formal personnel action that the board moved up on the agenda and resolved by vote immediately after returning from executive session. The board framed the motion as based on a recent investigation and the employee's contract; no further findings, investigation details or disciplinary documentation were released at the public meeting.
Board members did not read a document into the public record at the time of the vote beyond the motion language, and no individual vote names were entered into the minutes during the public portion of the meeting other than the chair announcing the motion carried.
Ending: The board moved on to other business after the vote, and the superintendent's office confirmed the effective termination date listed in the motion. The meeting record shows the board followed the announced executive‑session authority and then took public action consistent with that authority.
