PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Public School (PPS) board members unanimously voted to approve Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong as the district's next superintendent on Wednesday.
Armstrong has served for the past year as deputy superintendent for Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver, and prior to that served as chief academic officer at PPS for a year, after previously holding leadership roles in multiple California school districts. She holds degrees in education for educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Washington, and business administration and teaching from City University of Seattle.
Now, she has big plans for Oregon’s biggest school district. On Wednesday, Armstrong said she hopes to raise reading and math scores, particularly among Black and Native students. Oregon schools have struggled to boost scores since the pandemic, compared to the rest of the country.
“I really believe that our focus on literacy, that the team has already started, is the right work,” Armstrong said.
She added that she is also focused on improving trust with Portland Public Schools teachers. In November, teachers were on strike for close to a month before a new contract agreement was reached.
“We know that we need to build trust,” Armstrong said. “The fastest way to do that is not just through my words and through relationships, but it’s about the action.”
In a statement, the teachers union said they were excited to work with Armstrong. They said in the past, when Armstrong was with PPS, she was "refreshingly collaborative and respectful." Union officials said conversations with Armstrong come from a place of collaborative problem solving, rather than posturing.
During bargaining, the union and PPS administration struggled to agree on how much money the school district had. Though both said the state should supply the district with more funds.
“We need to be able to make sure that our funds properly address our needs in the classroom,” Armstrong added.
Armstrong is set to start July 1, according to a Portland Public Schools statement. Currently, PPS is being led by Dr. Sandy Husk, who was appointed to take over as interim superintendent after Guadalupe Guerrero's departure in February.