Jefferson County schools supt. Molitor resigning

Jefferson County School District Superintendent Rick Molitor announced this week that he will resign from his position at the end of the current school year.

Effective June 30, 2017, Molitor’s resignation follows nearly nine years of service to students, families and staff in Jefferson County, the district said in a news release Friday.

“Rick has been instrumental in moving our district forward and we support his decision to explore new career opportunities. We’re also glad that he will be here to help us recruit and orient his successor, ” said school board member Stan Sullivan.

Molitor said he is proud of the JCSD team and the progress that’s been made over the past eight years and explained that he believes the district is ready for a fresh perspective to take education to the next level in Jefferson County.

“My plan had always been to stay in this role for eight years, but I wanted to make sure the timing was right for our school communities,” said Molitor. “Our school board members and I agree that this is the right time and a positive move for the district.”

“My family and I love this community and we’d like to stay here,” said Molitor, who added that he’s exploring multiple career opportunities, including taking a greater role in New Basin Distillery, a spirits production business which recently opened in Madras.

Molitor is a partner in the business with several other local people. He may also continue in his role as superintendent with the Jefferson County Education Service District.

Molitor said he hopes his resignation provides an opportunity for somebody new to continue the good work that’s been done. He also hopes that the district will expand its focus on relationship building a look for a new superintendent who is well versed in diversity.

“We talk about diversity as a strength, but we still have a lot of work to do in terms of making it true priority,” said Molitor.

Molitor is the longest-sitting school district superintendent in Central Oregon and the longest-sitting Education Service District superintendent in the state.

He is leaving JCSD with a positive movement in student academic growth and graduation rates. He also credits the school board and community members for passing a $26.7 million bond in 2012. The resulting construction projects helped address community wants and needs for facilities including the Warm Springs K-8 Academy, the Madras Performing Arts Center, and a new football-track stadium at Madras High School.