Gladstone School Board members unanimously voted on March 20 to select Jeremiah Patterson as the school district's next superintendent, pending successful contract negotiations.
Patterson currently serves as the assistant superintendent for the Gladstone School District, where he previously served as assistant principal of John Wetten Elementary. He was principal of schools in the Riverdale and Sherwood school districts following his work as a teacher in Boston, San Diego and North Clackamas public schools. He earned a doctorate in education from Lewis & Clark College and Portland State University in 2012.
Patterson’s family has deep roots in education. A fifth-generation educator, Patterson is also married to an educator. He said that his past eight years in Gladstone has deepened his love for education and the community.
“This 2-and-a-half-square-mile place captured my heart,” Patterson said. “I am honored to be part of this community and look forward to continuing to help everyone understand what a special place this is and honoring the school board’s commitment to making it the best place it can be.”
Patterson is currently assembling a Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee to examine how facilities could better serve ever-evolving educational needs. He’s proud of how Gladstone’s breadth of programming, for a district of our size, is unparalleled in the state and could continue to stay competitive.
“There will soon come a time when we need to think very carefully about our infrastructure and how we can improve our schools and the learning experience of students,” he said.
On March 18, the school board named Patterson among two finalists in their search for our next superintendent. Our elected officials narrowed down a list of potential candidates after an extensive process in which each volunteer board member spent dozens of hours over the past several months.
After current Superintendent Bob Stewart in October announced his plan to retire effective July 1, the board held two public work sessions in November to discuss next steps. Board members contracted with Northwest Leadership Associates to help develop criteria for hiring our next superintendent.
Board members asked Gladstone parents, students, citizens and staff to provide feedback on criteria through an online survey and two days of in-person focus groups. A superintendent position description and instructions on how to apply were posted publicly and emailed to thousands of likely applicants across the region.
Nine candidates fully completed their applications during the five-week period for submissions, and then school board members interviewed candidates who met their criteria. Community members, staff and students met with both finalists on March 20 at Gladstone High School and provide further input for school board members who made their final decision at a special public meeting later that evening.
School board chair Tracey Oberg Grant said that Patterson impressed our elected officials for how they could count on him in the future to support the best for students, families and the community alike.
“Even if he hadn’t been in this position, he still would have been my top choice,” she said. “We’re very lucky; he truly was the best candidate. He approached this job as a professional for an open position, not as the internal candidate.”
The board is now focused on negotiating Patterson's contract terms. He is set to begin transition into the superintendent role with a start date of July 1.