Forest Grove superintendent presents midyear review and flags enrollment shortfall affecting next budget

Forest Grove School District Superintendent Dr. Suzanne West told the school board on Jan. 14 that her midyear self-evaluation centers on equity-focused leadership, culturally responsive instruction and improving organizational management, and she warned the district is about 129 students below its budgeted enrollment as of Jan. 6.

The midyear packet presented to the board included roughly 100 pages of evidence — school improvement plans, data-monitoring samples and professional development logs — and summarized work the superintendent said should guide the rest of the school year. “What I have tried to do in this first six months is focus on equity and make sure that I'm clear in the way I communicate to our community, to our staff, to our students, that this is important to me,” Dr. West said.

The enrollment shortfall matters because Oregon state funding follows student enrollment. Dr. West told the board that being about 129 students shy of budgeted figures is not uncommon in January but is being monitored closely; if the variance persists, the district will need to account for it in the next budget process. “In January, it's not uncommon to see the enrollment. We have students that we've been following. They typically do come back to us,” she said, adding that the district is watching the trend and preparing for budget adjustments if necessary.

Dr. West described early signs of improved benchmark outcomes in literacy after implementing new curriculum and assessment tools, and she pointed to CTE (career and technical education) pathways as an area of strong student engagement. Board members and administrators who attended a recent CTE tour praised the breadth of programs and the high student engagement. Vice Principal Colleen Lord and staff said students in construction, manufacturing, health sciences and other pathways demonstrated career connections and work-based learning. Dr. West also noted Measure 98 as a funding source that supports some CTE programming.

Board members suggested a midyear work session to discuss evidence and outcomes in more depth before the annual evaluation. Kristy (board member) recommended adding a column to the evidence packet showing takeaways from regular leadership meetings and how they influenced decisions. Several board members praised the thoroughness of the packet and asked for more structured opportunities to discuss what the packet implies for board goals.

Dr. West said the district is continuing work on aligning comprehensive school improvement plans to the district strategic plan, broadening family engagement strategies and putting longitudinal student-data tracking in place to measure instructional effectiveness. She also said the district will bring additional policy updates in coming months.

The board did not take formal action on the evaluation at the Jan. 14 meeting; the presentation was a midyear report and evidence-sharing step in the superintendent evaluation process.