By KENNETH LIPP/YachatsNews
Majalise Tolan likes data and sports. She likes being in school buildings and with students. She likes reading — her goal is 100 books a year — and loves the New York Yankees.
Now she’ll have to bring her passion to the 5,000 students and 600 employees as superintendent of the Lincoln County School District.
The district’s five-member board voted 4-1 Tuesday night to offer Tolan, 43, a three-year contract effective July 1 when superintendent Karen Gray retires after five years leading the district.
The board majority — Senitila McKinley of Waldport was the only no vote — said it wanted to maintain the momentum and trajectory established by Gray. Tolan has been in the district for 15 years as an assistant principal, principal, senior administrator and is currently its director of high schools and athletics.
The superintendent is essentially the chief executive officer of one of the county’s largest employers and service providers, and hiring for the position is among the school board’s main duties. The district has a yearly general fund budget of $84 million, 10 elementary and middle/junior high schools, one online K-12 school and three public charter schools. School locations range from Waldport in the south, Eddyville, Siletz and Toledo in the east, through Newport and north to Lincoln City.
Tuesday’s vote followed a third executive session discussion on the topic, beginning in December when Gray announced her retirement in June after five years.
McKinley was the only dissenter in the vote to forgo a national search for candidates or an internal application process in favor of direct negotiation with Tolan.
“I think that Majalise represents a great transition from Karen’s leadership to the future,” said board member Peter Vince. “I think we’re going to see with Majalise a continuity of professional development initiatives without burdening staff with additional new initiatives … I think the depth of Majalise’s knowledge of staff is incredible, she’s got 15 years experience, and she’s got incredible energy.”
McKinley said she knew people were aware of her opposition and deserved to know her reasons.
“We have been working on the process of equity in this school district, and for me, this means opening up the door wide for everyone to have an opportunity, from staff to students to parents,” McKinley said. “As a minority and a person of color, it has been very hard to serve on this board the way the system is.”
McKinley said she respected and cared about Tolan, but felt she had to put those feelings aside in favor of ensuring an open process — and thus to vote “no.”
Chair Liz Martin said that while each board member had their own opinion, they were a team and acted collectively on a majority vote.
“My vote is yes, and I’m ecstatic to hire Majalise,” said Martin. “I’ve been on the board for a number of years, and where she is going to take us is going to be incredible to watch. I won’t be a part of that. I’ll be watching from the sidelines,” she said, alluding to the end of her term in June after 14 years on the board.
Board members Megan Cawley and Mike Rawles joined the meeting remotely. They both offered “yes” votes and enthusiastic support.
The audience in the library was standing room only, and more rose to their feet to applaud when Martin gaveled in the affirmative vote. Some gathered around the soon-to-be superintendent as board members and Gray walked out to congratulate her, presenting her with a wrapped dessert on Valentine’s Day.
More than half the audience were district employees, including most of its administrators.
During her report to the board that followed, Gray said to expect an announcement next week about impending staffing changes as a result of Tolan’s elevation. Whoever is hired internally for her position will likewise have to be replaced in a domino effect.
Getting to know Tolan
Between voting to negotiate a contract with Tolan at its January meeting and Tuesday’s vote, the board held one-hour forums at its four high schools for community members to meet the superintendent candidate and hear her plans for the district. Tolan also submitted a resume and cover letter.
The native of Rochester, Wash. has been a professional educator for 20 years. After earning her master’s degree in teaching from Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, she taught and coached at the high school there for two years until her husband, Jake, completed his degree. They both then moved for teaching jobs in Milton-Freewater in northeast Oregon, where they stayed for three years while she also earned her initial administrator’s license.
Since her hiring as assistant principal at Taft 7-12 in 2008, she’s been principal at Newport Intermediate-Isaac Newton Magnet School and back to Taft as principal. In 2018, she made the move to the central office, first as school improvement and secondary curriculum administrator and now as secondary and athletic director.
Tolan is a doctoral candidate with a focus on recruiting and retaining women athletic directors who a year ago co-authored the book “She Leads: The Women’s Guide to a Career in Educational Leadership,” and is a consultant and speaker on that topic.
Tolan’s husband is a career-tech teacher in forestry and coach at Taft 7-12, and has taught at elementary and middle schools in Lincoln City and Newport. They have four children: Claira is a Taft graduate and college sophomore; Alicenn is a junior and Kol is a freshman at Taft 7-12; and James is in sixth grade at Taft Elementary-Middle.
YachatsNews attended community forums with Tolan in Newport and Waldport high school libraries the first week of February. The presentations were largely similar, with an introduction from board members, a powerpoint presentation by Tolan on her vision and background and a question and answer session.
Martin and Vince attended the forums in Waldport and Newport. Martin said the school board feels the district made great strides under Gray’s leadership team and wants to keep them under Tolan.
“The programs we have in place are working,” Martin said in Waldport. “And we want to keep them going … We want her here. She has put forth energy and time into the Lincoln County School District.”
At a brisk pace, Tolan recounted her rural upbringing and professional background. She said she makes a point of reading 100 books a year. She’s a big New York Yankees fan with a goal of visiting all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums.
Tolan told both forums she has been recruited for superintendent jobs elsewhere.
“I don’t want to be a superintendent somewhere,” she said in Waldport. “I want to be a superintendent here.”
Tolan said she fully supported the board’s strategic plan but that the district needed to do better at getting reading levels for seventh through 12th graders up to state standards. She touted the district’s increase of the on-track-to-graduate rate above 90 percent.
During her Waldport talk, Tolan repeatedly referred to data the district collects on all aspects of a student’s education and the need to use that to inform class-wide and personal instruction.
A parent in Newport asked about the future of Newport High’s International Baccalaureate track. Tolan said there was no truth to a rumor that she plans to axe the program.
Asked in Waldport to describe the difference between her and Gray’s leadership style, Tolan said, “We’re different people.
“I’m very hands on. I want to be in it. I can be very annoying,” she said, then stressing that there is “always time for collaboration and conversation.”
- Kenneth Lipp is YachatsNews’ full-time reporter and can be reached at KenLipp@YachatsNews.com
