BROOKINGS-HARBOR WELCOMES NEW SUPERINTENDENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2023
The Brookings Harbor School Board of Directors is excited to announce Helena Johansson-Chirinian, has been hired to become our next superintendent starting July 1, 2023. Helena retired in June 2021 from the Brookings-Harbor School District after 28 years of service. She has spent 17 years in leadership positions in the school district, having last served as the principal at Kalmiopsis Elementary School for 12 years. Since retiring, Helena has been working part-time as a Positive Discipline Coach in the school district. Helena is deeply connected to our community and has spent years building positive relationships. We look forward to working with Helena.
We would like to share the process we used to hire Helena. After David Marshall announced he would be leaving at the end of the school year, the school board took the time to consult with several well-known superintendent search firms. Education is experiencing unprecedented times when it comes to finding qualified educators. In particular, this year the percentage of candidates applying for a superintendent position is down by almost 50% nationwide. Currently, in the State of Oregon, there are numerous school districts that spent two months searching for a superintendent, to only get to the end and not find a qualified candidate. We knew we had numerous qualified candidates currently working in our school district, and were advised to post for the position internally first. Helena was interviewed for several hours by a committee that consisted of the school board, administrators, district office staff, classified and certified staff, community members, and parents. The consensus from the interview committee and the board was unanimous in picking Mrs. Chirinian as our next superintendent.
Lastly, a message from Helena:
“I’m incredibly excited to begin my new role at Brookings-Harbor School District and very much looking forward to
leading the work ahead. The greatest strength of our community is the connections we have with each other. I'm
going to challenge all of us to use those connections to work as a team so that all our students can grow up to be
happy and contributing members of our community.”
“I’m incredibly excited to begin my new role at Brookings-Harbor School District and very much looking forward to
leading the work ahead. The greatest strength of our community is the connections we have with each other. I'm
going to challenge all of us to use those connections to work as a team so that all our students can grow up to be
happy and contributing members of our community.”
For more information contact Mr. Alan Nidiffer, Board Chair at [email protected]
~Brookings-Harbor School District Board of Directors