PSD Logo

Pendleton School District Announces Superintendent Selection

/in /by

The Pendleton School District Board of Directors is pleased to announce that a contract for Superintendent of the Pendleton School District has been offered to Dr. Michelle Jensen, of West Linn, Oregon.

Dr. Jensen is currently a Primary School Principal in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District. She has worked in her current position since 2019.  Previously, she worked in the Hermiston School District as a counselor from 2005 to 2014 and Coordinator of Strategic Initiatives from 2014 to 2016; and as a principal in the Hillsboro Oregon School District from 2016 to 2019.

Eleven individuals applied for the position, and the Board interviewed two finalists for the position on March 10. Dr. Jensen will assume the duties of Superintendent beginning July 1, 2025.

Dr. Douglas Nelson and Mrs. Heidi Sipe of McPherson & Jacobson L.L.C. served as consultants in the search process.  Mrs. Sipe will continue working with the Pendleton School District Board of Directors and Dr. Jensen in helping establish performance objectives for her.

Michelle Jensen

Patrick Gregg

The Pendleton School District Board of Directors Announces Finalists for Superintendent Interviews

/in /by

February 25, 2025

Contact:  Douglas Nelson, Ed.D.
McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C.
541-410-8292

The Pendleton School District Board of Directors Announces Finalists for Superintendent Interviews

 Pendleton, Oregon – The Pendleton School District Board of Directors is pleased to announce that they have selected two candidates to interview for their superintendent vacancy. The district had twelve applicants for the position, and candidates were vetted through a variety of reviews prior to consideration by the school board. The results of these activities were presented to the school board at an Executive Session on February 24, 2025.  The two finalists were selected based on their educational attainment, depth and breadth of experience, and alignment to the priorities of the Pendleton School District stakeholder input. The candidates selected for interviews are:

  • Kevin Dinning, Human Resources Director, Pendleton School District
  • Michelle Jensen, Principal, West Linn, Oregon

Interviews are scheduled to be conducted on March 10, 2025, with both candidates.  Several stakeholder groups will have the opportunity to meet the final candidates and submit input to the board about each of them. The board intends to make their selection by the week of March 17. 

The Pendleton School District retained the services of McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C., to assist in conducting their search. The consultants reviewed, screened, and conducted extensive background checks on all applicants. On Monday, February 24, 2025, the consultants presented the applicants to the Board of Directors and provided them with detailed background information on each applicant.

Kevin Dinning  Michelle Jensen

PSD Logo

PSD Seeking Community Input

/in /by

The Pendleton School District Board of Directors has selected McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C., Executive Recruitment and Development, to assist them in the important task of selecting superintendent candidates for the board to interview.

The community can provide input into determining the qualities of the next Superintendent on Monday, January 13, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the PHS auditorium.

Your input is very important to us. We hope you will attend!

Kevin Headings

Pendleton School District Superintendent Announces Resignation

/in , /by

Pendleton School District Superintendent Kevin Headings announced he will not look to extend his contract past the 24-25 school year and will resign effective June 30, 2025. Headings was hired as Superintendent of Pendleton School District in April of 2022. He signed a three-year contract through June 2025.

Headings said upon being hired, he was thrilled with this new chapter in his life and excited about the opportunity to lead Pendleton School District as superintendent. Headings said he’s pleased with what’s been accomplished during his time as superintendent and positive with the direction the school district is headed.

However, while Headings said he was excited with the new opportunity and the progress of the district overall, he realized over time that his heart is still in working as a building principal. “I’m pleased with our work around improving instruction and making our buildings safe for our students and staff and I’m confident with the direction the district is headed. I look forward to finishing out the year strong.” Headings said, “But I’ve realized, over the past year and a half or so, that my heart just isn’t in it. I kept thinking it would change, but it really hasn’t.  I’ve been a principal in several different districts and superintendent in two. Working as a building principal with daily interactions with teachers, staff, students and parents is truly where my heart and passion are,” Headings said.

Headings said he is grateful for his time in Pendleton and for the opportunity the Pendleton School District afforded me. He has enjoyed getting to know the people of Pendleton, working with the various staff in the district, and working with the school board, he said.

FACT Oregon in Umatilla County

/in /by

FACT Oregon is coming to Umatilla County October 15-17, 2024.

FACT 1 FACT 2

PSD Logo

Pendleton School District is Seeking Applicants for Vacant School Board Position

/in /by

District Seeking Applicants for Vacant School Board Position

Pendleton – Due to a recent vacancy, the Pendleton School District is seeking applicants for Position 3 on the Pendleton School Board; 3 years remain on this term. Applicants must be legally registered voters who currently reside and will have resided within the district boundaries for one year immediately before the appointment.

Please submit applications no later than October 30, 2024, to the Pendleton School District Office at 107 NW 10th Street, or they may be emailed to Ronda Thornburg – Board Secretary

Application letters should include:

  • Full Name
  • Physical Residence Address
  • Phone Number
  • Email address, and…

Address the following:

  1. Why you would like to serve on the School Board?
  2. A list of prior involvement in district activities.
  3. A description of your understanding of the role of an effective board member.

Should you have any questions, you may email Patrick Gregg, Board Chair.

PSD Logo

2023-24 State Assessment Results

/in , /by

The Pendleton School District has received the 2023-2024 state assessment results from the Oregon Department of Education.  The Statewide Assessment System (SBAC) includes summative assessments administered annually, as required by the State and Federal Departments of Education.  These assessments are given to students in grades 3 – 8 and 11 in the areas of math, language arts and science.

Scores improved from the previous year in 9 of the 17 areas tested, specifically in the following grades and subjects: grade 3 math, grade 3 language arts, grade 4 math, grade 4 language arts, grade 7 math, grade 8 language arts, grade 11 science, grade 11 math and grade 11 language arts.

The highest gains are in grade 11 language arts with a 19.9% increase in the number of students meeting the achievement standards, grade 8 language arts with an 11.6% increase and grade 7 math with an 11.8% increase.

The areas where test results dropped by 5% or more were grade 5 science, grade 5 math, grade 5 language arts, and grade 6 math.

PSD administrators, teachers and staff continually work toward academic improvement and success for all students in all areas.  The district will dive deeper into the test results in the coming weeks to identify specific areas which may need a more focused effort.

“Although we’d like to see improvement and growth in all areas, we are encouraged by these preliminary results.  These improvements in nine areas, some very significant, validates all the hard work our staff do each day to educate every student, every day.” -Kevin Headings, Superintendent

“We appreciate the support from families and students who participate in these assessments.  The results of these assessments provide feedback to our teachers and administrators to help identify where our greatest needs are.” – Matt Yoshioka, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Detailed state, district and school results may be found at: https://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/assessment/Pages/Assessment-Group-Reports.aspx

Wear Orange

Orange Shirt Day

/in /by

September 27, 2024

PSD Families,
Monday, September 30th, is the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools. This day has become known as “Orange Shirt Day” along with the mantra “Every Child Matters.” This is a message that honors the lives of our Indigenous children who have been lost and symbolizes the importance of every child.

On Monday, September 30th, the Pendleton School District will recognize this day by encouraging our students and staff to wear the color orange as a sign of our support. The Pendleton School District is dedicated to honoring the interests and values of all children by creating school environments that help them feel valued, respected, and safe. Thank you for all you do to bless the lives of your children, our students. It takes the whole community to keep our kids safe, valued, and cared for.

Sincerely,
Kevin Headings – PSD Superintendent

Wear Orange

psd shield logo

Pendleton School District
107 NW 10th Street, Pendleton, OR 97801
Phone:  541.276.6711  Fax:  541.278.3208

The Pendleton School District assures that no person shall on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or income as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related authorities, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any Pendleton School District sponsored program or activity.

Accessibility Statement   |   Nondiscrimination Policy   |  USDA Nondiscrimination Statement  |  Public Complaint Procedure  |  Safe Oregon
© Pendleton School District 16R. All Rights Reserved