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Beaverton SD 48J board reviews interim superintendent options; leadership favors internal choice
Summary
At a Jan. 6 work session, Beaverton SD 48J discussed whether to appoint an internal interim or run an expedited external search after Dr. Balderas’s departure; board leadership recommended an internal interim, and no formal decision was made. Consultants outlined an accelerated external timeline as an alternative.
Beaverton SD 48J held a Jan. 6 work session to discuss options for an interim superintendent after Dr. Balderas announced he will leave the district. Board Chair Sunita Garg said the board would not make a decision that night and introduced Chief of Staff Carrie Delph and consultant Hank Harris of Human Capital Enterprises to outline internal and external approaches.
Chief of Staff Carrie Delph told the board the options: appoint an internal district employee to serve temporarily, which may require backfilling duties, or hire an external interim and run a short search. She noted Oregon licensing options, including that some candidates would need a professional administrator license or a temporary license from the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC).
Consultant Hank Harris described an expedited external search timeline if the board chose that route: applications would "open on the eighth" and "close on the 20 first," with a slate meeting "on the 20 fourth," a single board interview Jan. 29, a vote Jan. 30, and an ideal start around Feb. 1 (he allowed that Feb. 2–4 was possible). Harris recommended targeting experienced Oregon superintendents, often recent retirees who can pivot quickly.
Board leadership told members they "strongly recommend" selecting an internal interim candidate, and Carrie Delph said the internal process would not necessarily require the same external steps. Chair Sunita Garg said leadership would present reasons for that recommendation and asked members to bring views to the executive session and the next public meeting.
On criteria, Harris urged the board to make it a hiring criterion that the interim not be eligible for the permanent superintendent role: "whoever is sitting in this role should not be a candidate," he said, noting that allows interim leaders to make difficult decisions without appearing to campaign. Several directors — including Director Potter, Director Kossen and Dr. Truong, who joined the meeting — voiced alignment with that approach.
No formal motions or votes were recorded in the public session. The board moved to executive session to discuss personnel details and logistics; Chief of Staff Delph instructed members to log into a separate Zoom for that portion. The public work session was adjourned at 6:08 p.m.
What happens next: leadership said, unless the board decides to pursue an external hire immediately (which would require acting very quickly), the board will return in a future public meeting to make any formal appointment after executive-session deliberations.
