The Oregon Trail School District selected Aaron Bayer, current principal at
Sandy High School, to be the next superintendent of the district. Shelley
Redinger, who joined the district as the superintendent in 2007, will serve in
that capacity through June 30.

The district’s board of directors is expected to ratify an agreement with Bayer
at the Monday, June 13 board meeting.

“It is very humbling and an incredible honor to be named the next
superintendent of Oregon Trail School District,” Bayer said. “Over the last few
years in the district I have been blessed to have been given the opportunity to
serve as a vice principal and a principal.”

Bayer arrived in the district in 2008 as vice principal at Sandy High School
before becoming principal in 2009. Bayer also served as a middle school vice
principal in the South Umpqua School District and as a teacher.

“I could not ask to be in a better place at a better time and look forward to
serving our students, staff, and families to the greatest extent possible,” he
said.

The search for the new superintendent, facilitated by the company Window to
Leadership, LLC, yielded 27 applications, with Bayer and Richland School
District Deputy Superintendent John Steach emerging as the two finalists.
A search committee consisting of community members from Sandy, Boring
and the Hoodland area; teachers, staff, board members and administrators,
reviewed the applications.

Board member Kurt McKnight (Zone 3, Welches) was impressed overall by the
field of applicants and Steach was a “strong” candidate.

But after seeing Bayer’s work up close, particularly with some students who
Bayer “took under his wing,” McKnight became convinced.

“He knows where we are going; he knows where we need to go. For me, it’s
almost a natural,” McKnight said. “It made it so much easier to look at the
lack of administrative years and just look at him as a person, his capabilities
and dedications.

“Aaron is such a good example for the other administrators, leaders and those
who want to be leaders. Not just how to run a school, but how to run your life,
how to care about people.”

Bayer lives in Sandy with his wife and three children and has a Master of Arts
in counseling from Northwest Christian University and a Master of Arts in
teaching from Pacific University.

He is currently working toward a doctorate in education and organizational
development at Grand Canyon University.

Bayer’s biggest priority for the district: “The continued growth and
development of strong academic programming that will render our students
highly competitive in a global economy.”


Redinger resigned in March to become the superintendent of the Spotsylvania
County Schools in Fredericksburg, Va.