The Reynolds school board accepted the resignation of Superintendent Danna Diaz and approved an agreement Thursday night to transition to a new leader of the 10,000-student district in east Multnomah County.
Starting next year, Superintendent Danna Diaz will no longer roam the hallways of Reynolds High School in Troutdale, shown here in this 2021 file photo, or other schools in the Reynolds School District. Diaz has resigned and plans to retire at the end of the school year.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
The school board met in executive session Thursday night to “consider information or records that are exempt by law from public inspection.” After that session, they convened an open meeting that lasted about 10 minutes to “affirm the decision” made in executive session to approve a superintendent transition plan. Governing bodies, such as school boards, are allowed under Oregon law to discuss sensitive topics in private executive sessions, but must hold votes and final decisions in open meetings.
Board members said they will move immediately to hiring an interim superintendent. The board has plans to hold a meeting Jan. 11 that will include public comment and conversation about hiring an interim superintendent.
After the board’s vote, board member Yesenia Delgado spoke about the impact of the announcement’s timing on the district community.
“I recognize that this could be a lot to take in, right? In the middle of a school year, right around the holidays,” Delgado said. “As a board member I am sorry that we are going through this transition. The board will work hard to send out some communication around next steps.”
Friday morning, through a communications strategist and on Reynolds School District letterhead, Diaz shared a press release announcing her plans to retire after 36 years working in public schools.
“The opportunity to work with this community has been one of the most rewarding of my career,” Diaz said in the release. “I am proud of my time at Reynolds School District and there’s not one single thing I can point to because there are so many. Our student successes are too numerous to count.”
District communications officials were not aware of the press release and as of 10 A.M. Friday morning, had not yet notified staff of Diaz’s departure. Word of Diaz’s resignation was first circulated publicly through an Oregonlive.com story that published early Friday morning.
In an interview with OPB, Jeffrey Fuller, president of the Reynolds Education Association, alluded to an investigation involving Diaz. He said “REA’s position as to the district’s dysfunction under Diaz’s leadership has been public for several years.”
In May 2021, Reynolds Education Association members went public with a 2020 vote of no confidence against Diaz, citing a lack of collaboration.
“Clearly this is going to be difficult mid-year to have this change and REA is fully aware of all of the confusion this is going to cause and the possible disruptions for our students and staff,” Fuller said. “While we are aware that there is an investigation happening, we are not privy to the results or to the exact nature of it.”
When asked about an investigation, district communications officials said “the investigation is attorney-client privileged and exempt from disclosure.”
Diaz, who said she will leave the district at the end of the school year, has led the east Multnomah County school district since 2018.
Diaz’s contract expires next summer. District communications officials said she may stay on an “as needed” basis but did not specify when Diaz would actually stop working for the school district, and whether it might be sooner than the end of her contract.
At a school board meeting in October, students and parents voiced safety concerns after a shooting near the school and an incident involving a school resource officer and a student.
In her Friday message, Diaz cited achievements in her time with the district, including the district’s strategic plan and additional staffing.
Diaz’s announcement comes as other Oregon superintendents have announced plans to resign, including Lincoln County superintendent Karen Gray and Salem-Keizer superintendent Christy Perry.
Nationally, The 74 recently reported leadership in half of the country’s largest school districts has changed since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.