Mishra to be New Waitsburg Superintendent

WAITSBURG – After an extensive interview process, the Waitsburg School Board voted unanimously to offer the positions of Waitsburg Schools district superintendent and elementary principal to Dr. Jon Mishra at a March 30 special meeting. Mishra verbally accepted the offer, via telephone, contingent upon successful contract negotiations.

The district held preliminary interviews with five applicants, and narrowed the field to two finalists. One of the finalist withdrew, leaving Mishra as the lone candidate. On March 28, Mishra spent the entire day in a series of interviews, meeting with district staff, community members, students, and board members.

Mishra, accompanied by his wife of 23 years, Loreena; his daughter, Varsha, 18; and son Aakash, 11, held a community meet-and-greet that evening. Daughter, Kaajal, 20, a student at Oregon State University, was on a trip to Canada, and unable to attend.

In his introduction, Mishra said his parents moved from the Fiji Islands in the mid 1960's, and settled in Coos Bay, Ore., where Mishra grew up. He said he honors his culture, and he and his wife, who were wed in an arranged marriage, have raised their children to be bilingual.

Mishra spent the last eight years working in the Hermiston, Ore. school district, the largest district in eastern Oregon, and currently holds the position of Executive Director of Special Programs. He said that district, which has grown by 150-200 students annually, currently serves approximately 725 special education students each year.

Mishra applied for the position in Waitsburg because he said he was looking forward to returning to a smaller district where it is easier to focus on the whole child – the cognitive, social, and emotional affects. With his second daughter graduating this year, and his son still in middle school, Mishra felt the time was right to make the move.

"If I'm hired, I'm here to stay. At the very least, until our son is through high school. If we're here, we will live here and be a vibrant part of the community. This is a family commitment," Mishra told the open house attendees.

Mishra earned his secondary education degree from Oregon State University and said he entertained ideas of becoming a physician, and then a journalist, before finding his "true calling and passion" in teaching. He later received his masters in interdisciplinary studies from Western Oregon University and his doctorate in educational leadership and management from Capella University.

His first position was in the Powers, Ore. school district, similar in size to Waitsburg, where he was a secondary teacher, district-wide counselor, coach, and athletic director. He worked as a special education teacher, coach and building administrator in the larger Bethel School District, before returning to Coos Bay where he spent three years as middle school principal.

He was hired in Hermiston as middle school principal in 2009 and held the position of Director of Operations and Business Services from 2011-14, before taking on his current role of Executive Director of Special Programs, there.

Mishra said his doctoral dissertation was on personalized learning, and he's looking forward to working in a smaller community where he can further personalize learning for students.

Mishra spoke about the importance of "hearing and listening" when asked about his plans for the district, if hired. He distributed a detailed entry plan that stressed the importance of spending the first six months listening, understanding, and gathering information before making any active plans.

He described his leadership style as collaborative and decisive and said all decisions will revolve around how they affect the kids.

"I am very child-centered. We are here for the kids and need to be a cocoon around the students," he said.

When asked about budget concerns, Mishra said that he wasn't particularly worried. He said he is president of the Hermiston Kiwanis club which aids the district by supporting an outdoor school program and providing students with kayaks. He said he sensed that same type of "massive community support" in Waitsburg.

"I am humbled and delighted to be able to follow Dr. Clarke as Waitsburg's next superintendent. My family and I felt embraced by the community," Mishra told The Times after officially being offered the position.

If all goes as planned, Mishra will assume his new duties on July 1. Dr. Carol Clarke, who has held the position of district superintendent for 13 years, will retire on June 30.