Superintendent Search 2026
Superintendent Search 2026
Press Release – May 5, 2026
Seaside, Oregon - The Seaside School District Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of current Seaside High School/Seaside Middle School Principal Jeff Roberts as its new superintendent. This selection follows an extensive search process initiated in February 2026 after the announced retirement of Superintendent Susan Penrod.
The Board narrowed a pool of applicants down to four semi-finalists who were interviewed by stakeholder groups, including staff, students, and the school board. This resulted in the selection to two distinguished finalists: Jeff Roberts, and Kevin Dinning, Director of Human Resources for the Pendleton School District. Both
candidates participated in a full day of activities on April 22, 2026, touring the area, meeting with community leaders, and interacting with students and staff throughout the day. The day concluded with an evening community forum, where attendees had the opportunity to ask the candidates questions.
On April 27, 2026 the School Board deliberated in a closed session which resulted in the final decision to offer the position to Roberts. Board chair Shannon Swedenborg noted that “the School Board took this decision very seriously and appreciates the involvement of everyone who participated in this process. We are eager to begin this collaborative partnership with Jeff Roberts to continue in our shared mission of educational excellence.”
Roberts will oversee a district that recently completed a multi-year construction project, resulting in state-of-the-art facilities located safely outside the tsunami inundation zone in Seaside. Outgoing Superintendent Susan Penrod, who led the district for six years and oversaw the recent formation of the Seaside Education Foundation, as well as implementation of the district’s current instructional framework, will work with Roberts to ensure a smooth transition. Roberts will officially assume the title of Superintendent on July 1, 2026.
Update – April 21, 2026
Latest News – Posted April 17, 2026
CLICK HERE.......Live Stream Community Forum, April 23, 2026, 5:30 - 7:00 pm.......CLICK HERE
Press Release - April 10, 2026
Seaside School District Announces Finalists for Superintendent Position and Community Forum
Seaside, Oregon - The Seaside School District Board of Directors is pleased to announce the selection of two finalists to be considered for their superintendent vacancy. The selected finalist candidates are:
- Kevin Dinning – Director of Human Resources, Pendleton School District, Pendleton, Oregon
- Jeff Roberts – Principal of Seaside High School/Seaside Middle School, Seaside, Oregon
A site visit/community forum will be held on:
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Community Forum from 5:30 – 7:00 pm
Seaside HS/MS Library, 2600 Spruce Drive, Suite 200, Seaside, OR
Community members are invited to participate and will have the opportunity to ask candidates questions and provide input to the board. There will also be several opportunities during the day for various stakeholder groups to interact with the candidates and submit input to the board. The board intends to make a final selection shortly after the site visit and community forum.
Current Superintendent, Susan Penrod, announced her retirement during a February 17, 2026 school board meeting. On March 9, 2026 a job posting/vacancy announcement was released. Thirteen applications were received, and on Wednesday, April 8, semi-finalists were interviewed by the board, as well as by staff and student stakeholder groups. On April 9, 2026, the board met in executive session and selected finalists. It is expected that the new superintendent will begin on July 1, 2026.
Latest News – Posted April 3, 2026
On April 1, 2026 the School Board met in Executive/Closed Session (per ORS 192.660 [2][a]) to review applications and select semi-finalist candidates. Semi-finalist interviews will be conducted the week of April 6, 2026. Once finalists have been selected, they will be announced and the public is invited to participate in a Community Forum event on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 in the evening.
The Superintendent Search is being run as a semi-closed process. In a semi-closed search, the applicant names remain confidential during the early stages of screening. Once the board selects its finalists, the district will publicly announce the individuals who will participate in finalist activities. This approach preserves candidate privacy, while still allowing the community to meet with finalists and provide input. This approach balances candidate protection with meaningful public engagement.
March 2026
At a School Board meeting on February 17, 2026 Superintendent Susan Penrod announced her retirement. On February 25, 2026, the School Board held a Special Meeting to begin the planning process for recruiting and hiring the next Superintendent of the Seaside School District. The Board appointed four of its members to become the Superintendent Search Advisory Committee. Committee members are Katherine Davidson, Sondra Gomez, Jason Haag, and Shannon Swedenborg. The Superintendent Search Committee held it’s first meeting on March 3, 2026.
Meetings of the School Board, and of the Superintendent Search Committee are public meetings (unless noted and for specific reasons allowed by law) and the Board welcomes the community to participate. Public meeting information, including recordings of past meetings are available on the District’s BoardBook webpage.
SUPERINTENDENT PENROD’S RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT TO STAFF
Interview Panel Groups (Staff & Students)
The Board is interested in receiving input from a wide range of constituents during the process of recruiting and hiring our next superintendent. To this end, four interview panel groups will be developed to participate in semi-finalist interviews and selection of finalists. The groups will be:
- Licensed Staff
- Classified Staff
- Students
- Administrators/District Staff
If you are interested in participating on an interview panel group, please complete THIS FORM no later than midnight on Sunday, March 15th. You must be available to participate in all scheduled activies, including an afternoon meeting on Wednesday, March 18th, and evening interviews on April 8th and April 9th. Interview panel groups will be selected by lottery. If you are selected to serve on a group, you will be notified by the afternoon of March 18th.
Staff & Student Interview Panel Group Application
Community Involvement
Superintendent Search Advisory Committee meetings and Board Meetings are open to the public, and public comment is welcome. Meeting agendas and information can be found on our BoardBook webpage. In addition, a Community Forum will be held the week of April 20 (exact date TBD), for the greater community to meet and interact with finalist candidates.
Important Dates
(Dates are subject to revision)
- February 17 – Superintendent Penrod announces retirement and a Superintendent Advisory Committee is formed
- March 3 – Superintendent Advisory Committee Work Session to develop timeline, qualifications and application
- March 9 – Superintendent application opens
- March 17 – Superintendent Advisory Committee Work Session to gather feedback from staff and students
- March 9 -15 – Interview Panel Group Application is open
- March 18, 4:00 pm – Mandatory after-school meeting for Interview Panel Groups in the Secondary School Library
- March 29 – Superintendent application closes
- April 8 – Semi-Finalist Interviews
- April 22
Week of April 20– Finalists Interviews and Community Forum - Week of April 27 – School Board meets in Executive Session to make final selection
- July 1 – New Superintendent starts
