Clackamas ESD Superintendent Jada Rupley announced her retirement, effective June 30, at the Feb. 22 CESD Board of Directors meeting.
Board members reluctantly accepted Supt. Rupley’s news, and offered their best wishes to her as she begins retirement. The board announced it will begin an immediate search for her replacement.
Since joining CESD in June 2016, Rupley has led the agency through significant program and service growth. CESD provides direct special education and early learning support to about 2,000 children, and works with partner districts to serve migrant/bilingual students throughout Clackamas County. The agency provides a range of information technology support to 10 regional school districts and 27 other clients throughout the state. Over the past year during the pandemic, CESD has supported regional teachers in the quick pivot to distance learning; served as a critical liaison with the state, county and other partners on school reopening issues; and partnered with other metro-area ESDs and major health care providers to coordinate a large-scale COVID vaccination clinic for more than 40,000 educators.
“Jada has been a superb superintendent,” said Jon Eyman, chair of the Clackamas ESD Board of Directors. “Over the past five years, she has taken this agency forward in multiple ways, building strong relationships with our many partners, adjusting programs and services to meet constantly changing needs, and exhibiting extraordinary leadership in regional and state education circles. She will be deeply missed.”
“Over the past five years, Jada has done a terrific job of focusing on the diverse needs of Clackamas County school districts, and engaging the leaders of those districts in productive partnerships,” said Matt Utterback, superintendent of the North Clackamas School District. “Under her leadership, Clackamas ESD has helped all of our regional schools work together more closely, and that collaborative spirit has been invaluable this past year as we have addressed the challenges of the pandemic. I wish her the best as she begins her well-deserved retirement.”
Rupley came to CESD after holding many other education leadership positions. She began her career as an elementary school teacher and school psychologist in Washington state, then held a number of administrative positions in special education, early childhood and youth services, including leadership of the teaching and learning division, at ESD 112 in Vancouver, Wash. In 2012, after helping develop and pass legislation to create the Washington Department of Early Learning, she was tapped by Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber to become the state’s first early learning system director. She retired from that position in 2014.
“It’s been a privilege to close out my career here in Clackamas County, and strengthen the work of our regional ESD in supporting 10 school districts,” Rupley said. “I’m most proud that we have become a dynamic and flexible organization poised to serve our districts and state in many ways. I’ve been honored to work with a phenomenal group of regional superintendents, who are positioning Clackamas County’s public schools to emerge from the pandemic stronger and more resilient than ever.”
