Vergara recommended for Bilingual and Latino Outreach director position

Walla Walla Public Schools Superintendent Wade Smith is recommending the hiring of Mr. Victor Vergara as the new Director of Bilingual Education and Latino Outreach. His recommendation will be presented to the Board of Directors May 16 to complete the official hiring process. Upon approval of Superintendent Smith’s recommendation, Vergara would report to his new assignment July 1.

This new position represents one component of many to be implemented next school year as part of the Walla Walla Public Schools Board of Directors strategic planning efforts to increase Latino/a outreach and close the achievement gap, according to Superintendent Smith.

“In addition to Mr. Vergara's role, many other ambitious steps are being taken to improve student engagement and learning outcomes,” said Superintendent Smith. “A Latino community liaison will be hired and additional after school and summer school opportunities for students will be implemented. We will also offer additional middle school elective experiences beginning this fall and add competitive middle school soccer next school year.”

Vergara was named Oregon's 2012 Middle School Principal of the Year. He was also honored with the 2016 Distinguished Latino Educator of the Year award and is currently President of the Oregon Association of Latino Administrators. He is a two-time recipient of Oregon's closing the achievement gap award. 

For the past three years, Vergara has served as high school principal for the Academy of International Studies, a Bilingual High School in Woodburn, Oregon and Head of Schools for the International Baccalaureate for all four High Schools in Woodburn. Previous to his high school principal position, he was Principal at Woodburn's Valor Middle School for six years, a school that offers Bilingual Education to its students in Spanish and/or Russian.

“Significant accolades have been earned by Woodburn School District over the last 10 years which has achieved incredible success despite extremely challenging demographics, lauding one of the state's highest graduation rates for Latino and ESL students at near 90%,” said Superintendent Smith. “The results experienced at both schools under Mr. Vergara's leadership are nothing short of exceptional.”

Vergara emigrated from Chile 18 years ago with no English skills. He worked extremely hard to master the English language and soon enrolled in college, according to Smith.

“After graduating he began his educational career teaching bilingual education at the 4th and 5th grade levels for seven years before assuming the assistant principal position at Valor Middle School in 2005,” Smith said. “He is currently defending his doctoral dissertation to be completed this summer on the topic of culturally responsive school leadership for Latino/a student success.”