Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction
| Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction | |
|---|---|
Great Seal of the State of Oregon
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| Details of Office | |
| Branch | Executive |
| Type | Nonpartisan |
| Selection | Statewide election |
| Term | 4 years |
| Authority | Constitution |
| Established | 1872 |
| Abolished | 2012 |
The Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes referred to as the State Superintendent of Schools, was a constitutional office within the executive branch of the Oregon state government from 1872 to 2012, when it was eliminated by state law. The superintendent acted as administrative officer of the State Board of Education and was executive head of the Department of Education. The superintendent was elected by the people of Oregon in a nonpartisan statewide ballot for a term of office of four years.
The superintendent's responsibilities included providing leadership for some 551,290 elementary and secondary students in Oregon’s 198 school districts, as well as those enrolled in public preschool programs, the state Schools for the Blind and the Deaf, programs for children with disabilities and education programs for young people in statewide juvenile corrections facilities.
The superintendent had no direct control over policy, which was set by the Board of Education, and which adopts rules affecting local school districts, who are ultimately responsible for establishing policy at the district level. As chief administrator, however, the superintendent had considerable influence on policy through recommendation to the Board, and certification and licensing authority.
As chief administrative officer for the Department of Education, the superintendent oversaw state funding for schools, and made budget recommendations to the governor's office, subject to action by the state legislature.
As part of an education overhaul, a 2011 state law eliminated the elected office of superintendent and made the governor the superintendent, with the responsibility of appointing a Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction. The appointee must further have at least five years of experience as a school administrator and is subject to approval by the Oregon Senate. The law enacting the change took effect when Susan Castillo, the last person to be elected to the position, resigned to take a job in the private sector on June 29, 2012.
Accompanying the elimination of the elected office of superintendent was the establishment of a 12-member Oregon Education Investment Board, which hired Rudy Crew as the state's first chief education officer. His contract with the state pays him more than the combined salaries of the governor, state treasurer and secretary of state.
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