School District 55’s new superintendent enjoys living rural mountain communities, but he was looking for a larger community than the place he now lives.
That’s part of the reason Oakridge Supt. Larry Horton applied for a job at Sweet Home.
“My wife and I have always lived in rural mountain communities,” Horton said. Sweet Home is close enough to natural recreation areas and “it was a growth move for myself in that I’ve tripled the size of the district I’ll be working with now.
“We were real impressed with the quality of people I met, the obvious care and concern about doing what’s best for students.”
Sweet Home seemed a natural fit for skills he had developed over 31 years in education and exactly what Horton was looking for. Sweet Home was also hiring early enough it wouldn’t leave his district in a lurch looking for a new superintendent.
“I only applied for two positions, and I’m really pleased with Sweet Home,” Horton said.
Horton began working in the San Bernardino School District in California teaching sixth grade for a year. He moved to Running Springs where he taught fourth through sixth grade for nine years. He also served as a teaching vice principal. He was principal at Hay Fork, just west of Redding, for three years. He took a job at Three Rivers near Sequoia National Park as a superintendent-principal. He was there for 12 years.
Horton moved to Oregon and took a job as superintendent at Oakridge six years ago.
“I have two brothers that have lived here (in Oregon) ever since I graduated from high school,” Horton said. They kept harping at him to get out of California. “We’ve never really felt the need to leave California.”
When Oregon’s school reforms began and the certificates of initial and advanced mastery (CIM and CAM) were introduced, his brothers started talking about a “crazy” new idea in education and piqued Horton’s interest.
He completed his doctorate in 1994 and began looking for a post in Oregon. Oregon’s education reforms were part of the decision to relocate. He wanted to move to a mountain area where it wasn’t too hot and there were plenty of water and recreation opportunities.
“The CIM is what I would call world class standards,” Horton said. “If students pass CIM standards, they can go out and compete anywhere.”
With a global economy, students must be able to compete for jobs in a world-class environment, Horton said. CAM was a good “next step.” The CAM provides something meaningful to students tailored to their interests, hopes and goals, whether they are interested in going to work or college after graduation.
“That’s probably the best thing about those two programs,” Horton said. It enables students to set goals and get a start on them.
The freshmen at Oakridge High School are the first who will have CIM requirements tied to their graduation. Oakridge School District set up a mentor program where each teacher works with 10 to 15 students to stay on track through the completion of their CIM and eventually the CAM.
All six CAM strands have been developed in Oakridge, Horton said. “It looks like we’re going to be able to implement all six.”
He credits his high school principal and staff with making that possible.
“I basically just support them and get out of the way,” Horton said.
His first months in Sweet Home will be focused on learning.
“When I move into a community, I try to be a really good listener,” Horton said. He wants to learn the district’s strengths and weaknesses over the first six months and determine the board’s priorities. In August or September, he would like to talk with the board about goals for the next year.
From that point on, he wants to celebrate the strengths of the district then identify weaknesses and develop strategies to improve them.
Before he even moves to Sweet Home, where he begins work on July 1, Horton wants to meet with local site councils and get an idea of what kind of projects he should start once he gets to Sweet Home.
Horton is looking forward to working on the upcoming high school construction project. He has experience working on two smaller projects.
“I’m a little sad leaving the community we’ve spent the last six years in,” Horton said, but he is excited about meeting new people, making new friends and becoming “a part of a larger system that’s obviously been excellent over the years.”
Horton is impressed with Sweet Home’s school report cards, which are all strong or exceptional this year.
“It’s going to be a joy to step into a system that has high expectations,” Horton said.
Horton’s wife, Karen, has taught six years with Head Start in Lane County. Prior to that she worked a private preschool.
They’ve been married for 31 years. They have two children, Joshua, a senior in computer science at Western Oregon University, and Jessica, a sophomore in sociology at the University of Oregon.
As Horton arrives in Sweet Home he wants to emphasize an open-door policy.
“The coffee pot will always be on,” he said. He will welcome anyone to visit. “I really do encourage people to stop in and say hello.”