UPDATED: School board extends Superintendent Andrea Castañeda’s contract for 3 years

This story was updated following the March 11 meeting.

The Salem-Keizer School Board on Tuesday voted to extend Superintendent Andrea Castañeda’s contract for three more years after nearly unanimous praise following a private evaluation of her performance over the past year.

The extension means Castañeda, who is in the second year of a three year contract, will negotiate a new agreement with Board Chair Cynthia Richardson. The school board will vote on approving a three-year contract by July.

“We commend her for her bold leadership in facing the district’s challenges and for her success in building strong community relationships and creating a clear vision for the future of the district,” Richardson said, reading from the evaluation during the meeting.

Board directors credited Castañeda with starting the job during a difficult year and gracefully navigating the overlapping challenges of budget cuts and negotiations with employee unions, while also communicating a clear message to the public and elected officials that state spending on schools was falling behind what was needed.

“You lead with your heart. You go 24/7, never stop, always wanting to do more, always doing more,” Richardson, who is a retired district administrator, said.

“You are an amazing leader and we are so blessed to have you,” said Board Director Satya Chandragiri. “You face issues head on. You move towards the problem, not away from the problem.”

The board did not share specific numbers from Castañeda’s evaluation rubric during the public meeting, but several members noted that by her request, the bulk of her score, 60%, was based on data on student achievement — a rare move for a school district leader.

Castañeda’s results in the short time she’s led Salem-Keizer have been mixed. The district hit three of six goals this year, improving student attendance and the share of middle and high school students who feel they belong at school, and meeting a target for freshmen on track to graduate.

But other academic measures, particularly third-grade reading, lag far behind state averages and district targets. Castañeda and top administrators have made turning the reading numbers around a key priority this year.

The decision to extend her contract was a 6-1 vote, with Director Krissy Hudson opposing the extension. Hudson did not address the reason for her vote, alluding only vaguely to concerns during the public discussion of Castañeda’s evaluation while still praising her “strength and endurance and courage.”

“I always want to see more focus on our children and teaching but I guess it’s something that again we got ourselves in prior to your visit here and it’s going to take a while to get out of,” Hudson said.

Castañeda began the meeting with a brief speech about the importance of public education, noting the recent Trump administration firing of half the employees at the U.S. Department of Education. She said public schools remain one of the few institutions open to all, and are critical to teaching kids to live in a diverse society.

“I believe most people can agree public schools are the most powerful equalizer we have in our entire nation,” she said. “This is true for my family and for many people here.”

Following her contract renewal, Castañeda said she was filled with “extreme humility and even more joy that I get to be part of this community.”

She credited the district’s achievements to the team and district educators.

“There’s almost 6,000 people doing this work,” she said.

The school board also voted 5-2 to approve a voter’s pamphlet statement in support of a city of Salem property tax levy, with Chandragiri and Hudson opposed. Chandragiri cited the high cost of living and said imposing a new tax on struggling families was not the answer.

In a 6-1 vote, the board also approved a statement supporting Chemeketa Community College’s tax renewal to fund campus renovations in support of career programs and security. Hudson also voted no, saying she felt weighing in on community ballot measures was outside the board’s purview.

Original story below:

The Salem-Keizer School Board on Tuesday will consider extending Superintendent Andrea Castañeda’s contract following a non-public evaluation of her performance.

Castañeda is in her second of a three-year contract leading the district. The board will discuss her performance in a closed meeting Tuesday, which is allowed under state law to evaluate an employee. Following that discussion, they will vote on the contract extension in a public meeting.

If the board approves an extension, Chair Cynthia Richardson would negotiate a new three-year contract with Castañeda to begin July 1. The board would ultimately vote on approving that contract.

Castañeda came to Salem from Tulsa, Oklahoma and oversaw a tumultuous first year that included deep budget cuts, a teacher layoff and negotiations with both of the district’s employee unions.

She’s pushed the district to focus sharply on improving academic performance, especially reading among elementary school students and led the option of new internal tests that are intended to give teachers better real-time data on where students are struggling. That system was tested at several elementary schools last year and was adopted districtwide this year.

Efforts to boost the share of students reading at grade level have yet to bear fruit, however, with state tests last spring showing fewer than one in four third graders reading at grade level. District leaders said at a February forum that their internal tests are showing substantial improvements in elementary schools this year which they expect to translate to state assessments this spring.

Castañeda has also overseen an expansion of district security systems, including her decision to install weapon detectors at all high schools this year.

A contract extension would mean Castañeda’s position is relatively secure ahead of a May election which will decide a majority of the board’s seven seats.

Board members Lisa Harnisch, who represents West Salem, is seeking election after being appointed to the seat last year. She is so far unchallenged. Karina Guzmán Ortiz, who represents east Salem, is seeking another term against challenger Jason Kroker.

The seats currently representing Zone 3, south Salem, and Zone 7, portions of northeast and central Salem, will be open, as Ashley Carson Cottingham and Maria Hinojos Pressey are not seeking reelection. One person, Angel Arredondo Baca, has filed for Zone 3, while Mel Fuller and Holly Schiefelbein have filed for Zone 7. The deadline to file or withdraw is March 20.

Endorsing city, Chemeketa property tax measures

The school board will vote on approving statements for local voter pamphlets backing a city of Salem property tax levy and a Chemeketa Community College tax renewal to fund building renovations and security improvements across the college’s campuses.

Voters will decide both tax measures in the May 20 election.

The board’s proposed statement on the city measure highlights the importance of supporting libraries and parks to give students a chance at academic success in a school district with a high poverty rate.

“Public libraries play a critical role in early literacy and provide a safe place to learn and explore educational topics for thousands of children who attend Salem-Keizer public schools,” the statement says.

The board’s Chemeketa statement highlights the importance of the college as a resource and motivator for first-generation college students in the district.

“The passage of this bond measure will allow Chemeketa to strengthen its career and technical education offerings. Salem-Keizer Public Schools offer 55 career and technical education programs, and our students rely on Chemeketa to extend and deepen their technical training,” the statement says.

Hazel Green school sale

The school board will also vote to authorize the sale of the former Hazel Green Elementary School to Valley Inquiry Charter School.

The school, located at 5774 Hazelgreen Rd. N.E., closed in 2011 during a round of budget cuts where the school district consolidated elementary schools. It was at the time one of the smallest elementary schools in the district.

Valley Inquiry, a K-5 charter school, has used the building since. The school has about 170 students.

The school board earlier this year declared the property “surplus,” the first step in authorizing a sale, because of rising maintenance costs.

Board documents do not list a proposed sale price.

If a sale is approved, the money would be deposited in a district fund to pay for capital projects.

Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: rachel@salemreporter.com or 503-575-1241.

A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE.