Office of the Superintendent

Greetings and Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year!

As your new superintendent, I wanted to introduce myself say a few words about my educational philosophy and my hopes for this school year.

People say kids today are different. I disagree. Children have not changed; childhood has. Our students have the same needs that children have always had. They need adults who have high expectations and who believe their teacher has their best interest in mind. But today’s children have vastly different experiences they bring with them into our schools. This has made teaching incredibly complex. Teachers must possess the same attributes that kids have always needed while diversifying their skills to meet every student where they are. As superintendent, my role is to make sure our staff have what they need to meet the needs of each of our students. I do this by building connections with them, being visible in our schools, and listening. This has been a hallmark of my leadership: to know and be known by those I serve.

For this upcoming school year, I am picking up the ball from Dr. Rhoades and others who developed our strategic plan. This means continuing the work around the alignment of our curriculum, empowering students, and professional development for our staff in culturally responsive practices. Leadership comes in many forms, and for me, it will be essential to play a supportive role for our building principals as they carry this work forward. Our strategic plan ends at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year, so we will be getting the feedback of our parents and community in the development of a new strategic plan. 

On a personal note, I feel like I am a near neighbor to the North Marion School District, having lived in Newberg for the past 22 years. My wife, Sandra, and our three grown children and one grandchild all reside in Newberg and family means everything to me. The deep ties and strong support of families with NMSD was a big draw for me wanting to come here. I look forward to meeting you. Please do not hesitate to reach out at any time. I would love to build connections within the community and learn best how to lead and serve this great school district. 

Dan Busch