Word came this week that longtime Newberg School District superintendent Paula Radich will retire at the end of the school year.

For the past 13 years Radich has guided the school district through a very difficult time in its history as it has dealt with repeated reductions in funding from the state, teacher cutbacks, cuts in programs and the nearly annual increases in Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) costs that have brought many school districts — and municipalities, for that matter — to near insolvency.

Her quiet professionalism and calm demeanor in the face of sometimes daunting challenges have been a welcome change from the administrations of former superintendents in Newberg. She has proven to be an able administrator and, as a result, Newberg has retained many programs, such as music and the arts, that other districts discarded years ago.

Radich will be sorely missed, but we’re happy for her as she enters the next phase of her life: retirement. Godspeed, Paula.

The Newberg Graphic