Saxton visits Sisters schools

Sisters schools Superintendent Jim Golden hosted Oregon State Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Rob Saxton Tuesday, October 22, for a discussion surrounding the new direction being taken in public school education in Oregon. The meeting charter was "How do we convene people to create a truly new educational system?"

School board chair Don Hedrick, vice chair Kay Grady and Sisters Science Club co-founder Bob Collins also took part in the meetings and the tour of Sisters schools.

The deputy superintendent is responsible for the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), a 400+ member department charged with implementing statewide education programs.

Saxton said, "The Oregon Department of Education is a place that is in a significant transition, and my job is to organize that transition."

"The relationship between the legislature and the ODE became significantly strained over the last 10 years or so," said Saxton, "If there was a budget cut to be had, it often came at the expense of the ODE. With the advent of No Child Left Behind, the ODE became an underfunded compliance organization."

Saxton said, "We have gone to work and created a significantly different organization than we had 14 months ago. We still have a long way to go. We are going fast and we are going to make some mistakes." Quoting Mario Andretti, he said, "If it seems like everything is under control you are not going fast enough."

Citing his experience as head of the neurology department at UCLA, the Science Club's Bob Collins noted, "If this school were to depend on the state, we would be mediocre. It comes down to money and time support from the community, and from grants."

Saxton agreed with Collins' observation but vowed to change that reality.

"The truth is that I feel that we didn't have any offense in education in the state," said Saxton, "We need to create a thing where we say 'We have an offense here. We have a really good team. We've got great ideas. You need to invest in us.' If we can just catch the imagination of people, and especially the legislature, it gives us a different kind of opportunity."

Explaining how the Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB) and the ODE interact, Saxton said, "The small staff at OEIB is about the 'what.' They look at the system and identify 'choke points.' They determine the 'what' of how to fix the problem areas that they have identified."

"The ODE's job is the 'how'," continued Saxton, "Our job is to implement the programs and solutions statewide."

ODE helps guide the more than 1,200 public schools in the state. The key roles of the agency include setting test standards and graduation requirements for statewide uniformity. This gives Saxton a wide latitude to influence pupil performance.

Saxton's career includes teaching high school math and coaching. He went on to be a principal and most recently the superintendent of the Tigard-Tualatin School District for seven years. Before coming to Tigard-Tualatin, Rob served as superintendent of the Sherwood School District between 2000 and 2005.

Upon his appointment, Governor John Kitzhaber said, "Rob Saxton has proven time and time again that he can deliver real results. His on-the-ground experience and excellent track record in the Tigard-Tualatin School District will help us achieve better outcomes for all of Oregon's students."