No to Phillips

by Brandy Penner
Newberg School Board Director​
(on the selection of Steve Phillips as the new Newberg Schools Superintendent, May 10, 2022)
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I did not vote for Mr. Phillips.
I do not know Mr. Phillips beyond what I have seen via this interview process. Unfortunately, I’ve come to the conclusion that he is not equipped nor qualified to be the superintendent of the Newberg School District.
I visited the Jewell School district as part of the interview process. Mr. Phillips left behind a school district team in shambles. He has left a school system hungry for help and support in a crisis. He has left behind people who are deeply dedicated to educating the kids of Jewell and are working hard every day, not because of his efforts but too often despite them.
He resigned from his position before Jewell because of a false, hateful statement made on social media. At best, he was tone-deaf and showed a lack of awareness and compassion in leadership.
During our interview process, it has become clear that Mr. Phillips does not grasp a superintendent's most basic knowledge and skills. He did not know what neurodivergent meant, and this is excusable unless you run a school district of 4,200 kids and nearly 500 staff. He often vaguely stated, “etc., etc., etc.” During interviews and interactions with staff and the community, this is for a position that pays close to $200,000 annually and requires very strong communication skills.
More than half of the qualifications listed in the posting for this position are related to trust, communication, and relationship building. Mr. Phillips is not a strong communicator. He does not build positive relationships and does not have a high level of trust among those he has worked with or for. In addition, he has proven to be culturally unaware.
In the survey sent to parents, staff, and the community, the top priority was preserving our highly qualified teachers. The top area of improvement was leadership consistency, followed by cultural competency. Mr. Phillips did not show us that he possessed these skills or the skills needed to heal and lead our community.
Yet five people last night voted to support him as the leader of our school district. I will do everything in my power to continue to center student and staff voices against what feels like insurmountable odds.