Photo: Ford, Brad
Photo: Portland Public School District
Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero informed the PPS School Board on Monday morning that he would not seek a third contract extension to further his leadership tenure at PPS. He shared that his last day as Superintendent will be February 16, 2024.
"I am grateful for the trust and opportunity to have led Portland Public Schools for the past seven school years," said Superintendent Guerrero. "During my tenure, we worked tirelessly to provide our 44,000 amazing Portland students with excellent classroom experiences every day. I am immensely proud of my team's contribution to our school district's 170-year history. I want to thank every educator, principal, central office staff, community partner, and family for supporting our mission to make PPS a better experience for every student."
In August 2017, the PPS School Board unanimously appointed Guerrero as Superintendent of the Portland Public Schools. Under his leadership, PPS has strengthened its resolve to provide students with high-quality learning experiences in every classroom. He has focused resources to ensure students, especially Portland’s historically underserved populations, access vibrant and positive school experiences, expanding opportunities for students to participate in the visual and performing arts, career technical education, and summer school programming. In addition, under Guerrero’s stewardship of the school district, there has been an emphasis on increased services and support to students, including mentorship and enrichment opportunities provided by culturally specific community partners and mental and behavioral health supports.
"I appreciate our PPS school board members, both past and present, for their confidence in my leadership and positive appraisals during my time at PPS. I believe PPS is a better school system, and with a capacity of talent that has grown over the years, right now is the best time to step down and pass the baton.”
In 2018, Superintendent Guerrero and school board members established a robust process to develop a community vision for public education in Portland. Following adopting the district’s new vision, Guerrero developed a multi-year strategic plan outlining the necessary actions and steps to achieve the newly identified graduate portrait and ensure every PPS student thrives.
Guerrero said, "During my tenure, my main priority was to work urgently and diligently to create high-quality teaching and learning conditions. I remain optimistic that the future of PPS will be bright and that the community’s vision for student success is soon realized.”
Under his leadership, PPS mitigated the adverse impacts of the global pandemic on student learning, steadily improved the graduation rate (81% in 2017 to 85.7% in 2022), and prioritized efforts to improve Black, Native American, and Students of Color academic achievement. He prioritized learning specialists, tutoring, and robust summer programming to increase access to learning opportunities and help remedy student learning loss.
Guided by the Superintendent’s vision for excellence and equity in every classroom, PPS established a unified vision for teaching, updating decades-old curriculum materials, leveraging one-time federal relief dollars for teachers' professional development, and increasing support to students impacted by the pandemic.
Since 2017, PPS has continued to prioritize resources to improve the student experience by:
- Expanding access to arts education, as described in the District’s Master Arts Education Plan. Elementary students' visual and performing arts access has increased by nearly 80 percent.
- Doubling career and technical education (CTE) programs, which now serve 68 percent of high school students.
- Prioritizing one-time funds to accelerate student learning. This includes providing a robust menu of summer supports to address pandemic-related gaps, offer enrichment opportunities to students, and offset typical summer slides.
- Strengthening PPS’ nationally recognized dual-language immersion programs, which have tripled the number of graduates earning the Seal of Biliteracy.
- Partnering with organizations like the Ballmer Institute for Children's Behavioral Health and Community in Schools, increasing access to trained professionals that support student wellbeing. This includes doubling the number of social workers over the next three years.
- And in 2021, became a 1:1 Chromebook district, ensuring every student in grades 3 to 12 has a technology device for use at school and home.
Furthermore, PPS:
- Modernized five schools, including four high schools. In Fall 2024, PPS will open a new Benson HS and a state-of-the-art building for Multiple Pathways to Graduation students.
- Secured the passage of the 2020 School Improvement Bond, valued at $1.2 billion, with a 75% voter approval rate, which will fund the modernization of Jefferson High School and include a plan for the remaining two high schools in the district and continue to address deferred maintenance in over 80 schools.
- Leads the nation's most comprehensive K-12 response to the climate crisis.
During Guerrero’s tenure, he has received multiple accolades:
- In 2021, named the 2021 Superintendent of the Year by the National Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS).
- Named the 2021 Administrator of the Year by the Oregon Music Education Association.
- Twice a finalist for the Urban Superintendent of the Year.
- In 2023, appointed Chair of the Council of Great City Schools, the nation’s leading organization representing America’s largest urban school districts.
Guerrero, the first Latino Superintendent of PPS, has 30 years of experience in public education. He served previously for ten years in the Boston Public Schools and for another decade in the San Francisco Unified School District, including as a paraprofessional, bilingual teacher, and principal, as well as a variety of central office leadership roles. He holds two Master’s degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor’s from the University of California, Los Angeles.
School Board Statement:
This morning, Superintendent Guerrero informed us that he would not seek a third contract extension. We thank him for his leadership and the impact he has made during his time in Portland Public Schools.
We particularly want to lift up accomplishments that have been priorities for our Board. Superintendent Guerrero supported our community in identifying a vision for this district – a vision where equity was at the center. He shepherded the creation of an equity staffing formula that concentrated resources in our highest-need schools and repaired relationships with organizations serving Black and Brown students. His investments in arts have served all students, but have created rich new avenues of expressions for students of color. Our graduation rates are up, we’ve greatly expanded our career and technical education offerings, and he has forged a new partnership with the University of Oregon’s Balmer institute that will support generations of PPS students for decades to come.
Superintendent Guerrero has laid a strong foundation for us, and we are confident that the district is stable and in a strong position to embark on its next chapter.
We will meet in the coming days as a school board to identify an interim leader and begin the search process for a new Superintendent.
Source: Portland Public School District