Bend-La Pine Schools chief Wilkinson retiring

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Ron Wilkinson announced his plans to retire next June 30th at Tuesday night’s school board meeting.

“My 43 years in public education have been extremely rewarding and filled with a multitude of adventures,” Wilkinson said. “The past 17 at Bend-La Pine Schools have been the best.”

“We have embraced higher standards for ourselves as well as our students, and have stayed the course through good time and not-so-good times in our quest to be the highest achieving school district in the state of Oregon,” he added. “I feel so fortunate to have worked with such incredible educational leaders and support staff,. The team at Bend-La Pine Schools is second to none.”

Since Wilkinson joined the district in 1998, more than 5,000 new students have enrolled and nine new schools have been constructed – and two more are under construction.

Wilkinson has been an advocate for choice options for parents and students and has supported the development of the district’s technology magnet; arts integration program; Science, Technology, Engineering and Math program; Ooline learning program; middle and high school IB Programmes and more.

“Ron refuses to let even a single student be left behind,” said Assistant Superintendent Lora Nordquist. “His determination is paying dividends as our subgroups – economically disadvantaged, special needs, and English language learners – continue to make academic gains and close the achievement gap.”

“District-wide, students continue to meet and exceed state averages on Oregon math and reading assessments, 86% of our schools earned the state’s highest ratings on the Oregon Report Card, and 73% of graduates are continuing their education at two- and four-year colleges,” Nordquist added. “Ron will be greatly missed, but it is comforting to know that when he retires, he will be leaving our district in a better place than it was in before his arrival.”

Wilkinson’s annual salary is $164,500, including a raise and bonus given during his last performance review late this summer. It was his first raise since he became superintendent in 2008, besides a cost-of-living adjustment a few years ago.

The request for proposals for a search firm goes out Wednesday to begin the process of finding Wilkinson’s successor, said district Communications Director Julianne Repman.