Pendleton School Board completes first-year evaluation of Superintendent Michelle Jensen

The Pendleton School District 16R Board of Directors completed its annual evaluation of Superintendent Michelle Jensen for the 2025–26 school year, concluding that Dr. Jensen’s performance was assessed as "Effective or Developing" across the district’s eight professional standards and as "Developing" on the four Superintendent/Board goals. Board Chair Beth Harrison opened the discussion and provided an opportunity for members to add to the evaluation summary included in the agenda packet.

The board identified communication and community relations, effective organizational management, and ethics and professional norms as areas of strength for Jensen, while noting that her status as a first-year superintendent left several standards with a "Developing/Not Enough Information" designation. Chair Beth Harrison said the Board will work with Jensen over the next few months to develop goals for 2026–27 aligned with the district Strategic Plan and emphasized attention to action items under Goal 2 for the remainder of the school year. "The Board of Directors of the Pendleton School District 16R has completed an annual evaluation of Superintendent Dr. Michelle Jensen for 2025-2026," the minutes state, and the Board recorded its findings in the evaluation packet.