The Forest Grove School District announced that they had hired Human Capital Enterprises to guide the recruitment process to replacement current FGSD Superintendent Dave Parker, who announced this academic year would be his last in October.
In an Oct. 24 letter to the Forest Grove School Board, Parker said he would be retiring at the end of the 2023-24 school year.
“This has been an incredibly difficult decision because I truly love what I do and the
community I serve,” Parker wrote. “Serving as the superintendent of the Forest Grove School District has been an honor and a privilege.”
Hired to replace former Superintendent Yvonne Curtis, who resigned in 2017 after nine years in the position, Parker oversaw one of the most difficult periods in education history: the abrupt closure of in-person schooling as the COVID-19 pandemic descended on the world.
In his letter, Parker said the main drivers in his retirement were a desire to spend more time with his family and because of recent health concerns.
“I am extremely proud of the work we have done in our district before, during, and after the pandemic,” he said, noting that the district recently completed the 2023-2028 strategic plan, a major project that will guide the district’s work in the years to come.
With his departure coming, the timeline to replace him has been set, with conversations with the school board and stakeholder focus groups set for January along with an online survey, in-person Spanish-language engagement that month. In February, a public meeting to go over the criteria for the next superintendent will be held, and the recruitment window, which extends through March 4, will open.
More information on how to be involved in the process can be found on the district’s website.
Following that, March will see preliminary interviews of candidates held, and the school board will select a set of semifinalists.
In April, the semifinalists will undergo more interviews, a community stakeholder interview will be held, and the board will meet to identify the preferred candidate, with a final selection anticipated by May 1.
On July 1, 2024, the new superintendent will have their first day on the job, leading the administration of schools in Gales Creek, Dilley, Cornelius, and Forest Grove.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
