A deputy superintendent for the Salem-Keizer School District, Iton Udosenata, has been hired to lead the Tigard-Tualatin School District starting in July.
Udosenata was named the next superintendent in an announcement by the Tigard-Tualatin School District on Saturday, June 1.
“I’m just really eager to get there and get going,” he said in an interview.
Udosenata, who oversees the district’s middle and high schools, grew up in north Eugene, living in public housing and attending schools for low-income students. He got into a French language immersion school in a more affluent part of the city, which he credited with changing the course of his life.
The experience spurred his interest in “making sure that kids had opportunities to have quality public education without having to take a bus or win a lottery to get into a certain school,” he said.
“Because of his focus on working as a collective to advance student outcomes and his commitment to centering students in every decision, it was clear to the board that Udosenata would be the perfect leader for our district,” said the district’s Board Chair Tristan Irvin in a statement.
At the time of the announcement he had been one of three finalists to oversee Portland Public Schools, one of three finalists, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
Udosenata first joined Salem-Keizer in June 2020, and before that was principal at North Eugene High School. He applied to be Salem-Keizer’s superintendent during a job search last school year. The position ultimately went to Andrea Castañeda.
He oversaw a tumultuous time for the district’s middle and high schools, coming to Salem when classes were held online and a record number of students were disengaged and failing classes.
Among his accomplishments, Udosenata said he’s proudest of the work his teams did to reduce the share of students failing classes and the racial disparities in those rates. In district middle schools, the share of Latino students failing classes went from a pandemic peak of about 38% to 8%.
Udosenata also worked to reduce the use of suspensions and expulsions in district schools, trying to keep more students in class and engaged in school through using restorative discipline, where students work to correct the consequences of mistakes and poor behavior. Those practices have cut expulsions and suspensions by about half over about five years, though the changes have sometimes drawn pushback from teachers and parents.
“I think we’ve found a balance right now where we are able to lead with relationship first and still hold kids accountable,” he said.
Udosenata’s last day working for Salem-Keizer will be June 30, according to district spokesman Aaron Harada. The district will hire a replacement, but a timeline has not been decided yet.
He will be replacing Tigard-Tualatin’s retiring superintendent, Sue Rieke-Smith. The district said Udosenata stood out in a nationwide search for his knowledge of state policy, ability to unify staff and to create an environment where students thrive.
Tigard-Tualatin has over 11,700 students and 17 schools. Udosenata said he was drawn there because the district has a diverse student body and is invested in dual language programs, which have been a major focus in Salem-Keizer.
“The board seemed very interested in having a balance of instruction and instructional achievement while also creating welcome and safe spaces for all students which is something that I’m passionate about,” he said.
The district pointed to his leadership on the bargaining team which in March settled a two-year contract with the teacher’s union and averted a strike, and his oversight of student and family services and the Office of Student Equity Access and Advancement.
Udosenata holds a doctorate in education methodology, policy, and leadership from the University of Oregon, and degrees in ethnic studies and education leadership.
Udosenata’s salary is $191,084 in Salem. He declined to say his salary for the new job, and the Tigard-Tualatin district did not respond to a request for the amount from Salem Reporter.
Udosenata also served on the Chemeketa Community College Board. He said he and his family are still deciding if they will move out of Salem for his new job, which would determine whether he can remain on the board.
“I really am going to miss a lot of the people,” he said of his departure from Salem-Keizer.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251. Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
