BEAVERTON, Ore. (KOIN) – Starting this summer, the Beaverton School District will have a new superintendent.
Dr. Gustavo Balderas accepted the position and will step into the role July 1, the district announced Wednesday. He’s replacing Superintendent Don Grotting who’s retiring at the end of the fiscal year.
The district said Balderas comes to Beaverton from the Edmonds School District in Washington where he served as superintendent for the past two years. Before that, he was the superintendent in the Eugene 4J School District from 2015-2020.
Before that he was superintendent at the Ocean View School District and Madera Unified School District in California.
Balderas is returning to Washington County. He started his career in the Hillsboro School District where he worked as a teacher, counselor, assistant principal, principal, district administrator and assistant superintendent.
“Dr. Balderas’ track record of centering students in decision making, working directly with community and staff members, increasing academic achievement and infusing equity into district decisions made him the clear choice for our next superintendent,” said Tom Colett, chair of the school board.
While working in Hillsboro, Balderas and his family lived in Beaverton and his two sons attended school in the district. He said coming to Beaverton is like returning home.
“This is what we’re here for. We’re about kids. We need to meet kids where they’re at, at their appropriate rate of learning at their appropriate level. Our goal is to continue to stretch our students with rigorous education opportunities,” he said.
Balderas is a first-generation son of Mexican immigrants who worked in the agricultural fields of California, Oregon and Washington, Beaverton School District said.
Balderas said he knows first-hand some of the barriers students in Beaverton Schools face, especially those experiencing poverty and navigating a new language and culture.
“These experiences will help me connect with students and families and help identify ways to meet the needs of our students furthest from educational justice,” he said.
Balderas is a nationally recognized educator known for his equity-driven leadership. Beaverton School District said he has a proven track record of ensuring all students achieve academic success and social-emotional growth.
He’s received the 2021 Champion for Equity Award from the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, the 2020 Oregon Superintendent of the Year Award from the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators and the 2020 National Superintendent of the Year Award from the American School Superintendents Association.
The Beaverton School Board began its search for a superintendent six months ago. It asked students, parents, guardians, staff and community members what qualities they wanted to see in the district’s next leader.