PORTLAND, Ore. — Three finalists are vying to become the next superintendent for Portland Public Schools. Families and community members gathered inside Grant High School on Tuesday to hear from them.
Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong, Dr. Paul Cruz, and Dr. Iton Udosenata made the cut earlier this month. All three candidates have years of experience in public education and leadership roles.
Human Capital Enterprises — a search firm hired by the School Board to conduct the search for Superintendent of Schools — hosted Tuesday's community event where parents could meet and greet with the candidates before transitioning to breakout sessions.
Each finalist answered a series of questions that were submitted by the public and selected through a lottery. They discussed advocating for more funding from the state, strategies to keep families from leaving the district, and how they'd help students of color and students with disabilities succeed.
The Board of Education will deliberate at the end of this week, taking in feedback from these sessions and make its new appointment sometime in June.
Here are the finalist bios, shared by Portland Public Schools:
Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong of Vancouver, Washington: Dr. Armstrong currently serves as the Deputy Superintendent for Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver, Washington where she has held the position since 2023. Prior to her tenure in Evergreen, Dr. Armstrong held the position of Chief Academic Officer for Portland Public Schools from 2022-2023. She served as the Associate Superintendent for Santa Rosa City Schools from 2021-22. Earlier, from 2020-2021 she served as the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services for Tamalpais Union High School District in Marin County, California. Dr. Armstrong brings more than 25 years of public education experience and holds a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Washington as well as a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Teaching from City University of Seattle.
Dr. Paul Cruz of Austin, Texas: Dr. Cruz, a former superintendent of schools in Austin Independent School district is currently both the Professor of Practice and Co-Director of the Cooperative Superintendency Program at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to being the superintendent of Austin ISD he served in the role of Chief of Schools for Austin ISD and earlier served as superintendent of Laredo ISD. Earlier in his career he served in roles ranging from classroom teacher to campus administrator. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Science in Educational Administration from Corpus Christi State University. He is a member of multiple boards and advisory committees including the Council of Great City Schools. He has over three decades of public school experience.
Dr. Iton O. Udosenata of Salem, Oregon: Dr. Udosenata currently serves as the Deputy Superintendent of Salem-Keizer Public Schools, a position he has held since 2023. Previously, he served as the Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education in Salem-Keizer from 2020-23. Prior to his tenure in Salem-Keizer, Dr. Udosenata served as principal of North Eugene High School from 2017-2020 and principal of Cottage Grove High School from 2013-2017. Dr. Udosenata has 20 years of public education experience in Oregon and California. He holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and a Master of Education from the University of Oregon. Dr. Udosenata currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (COSA), having previously served as COSA President from 2020-2021 and COSA Past President from 2021-2022.