Meet Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero
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Guadalupe Guerrero has served as Superintendent of Portland Public Schools, the largest school district in Oregon, since October 2017.
Guerrero brings to Portland his experience as a leader in large urban school systems, having worked for 10 years in the Boston Public Schools and another decade with the San Francisco Unified School District.
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Read full bio
In San Francisco, he served as Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, Innovation and Social Justice for five years. Under his supervision, he oversaw the district’s portfolio of 129 schools, early education, curriculum & instruction, student support services, special education, and the district’s innovation team.
Prior to this role, he was Assistant Superintendent of the Superintendent’s Zone, responsible for the turnaround and transformation of the city’s most underserved school communities.
In Boston, he was assigned to the district’s most underperforming school, charged with transforming the school experience for over 500 historically underserved students. After one year, he was concurrently appointed a cluster leader to facilitate professional learning for a designated cohort of principals and provide input on district improvement plans as a member of the Superintendent’s cabinet.
Prior to starting his administrative career, Guerrero has teaching experience across grade levels in various school settings in the Oakland, San Francisco, and Boston public schools, including in Spanish bilingual, elementary literacy specialist, and middle school math & science teacher roles.
In 2001, Guerrero was awarded a fellowship for being identified as Boston’s recognized “teacher with outstanding leadership potential” and subsequently earned a first master’s degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education’s School Leadership Program in 2002.
Guerrero returned to Harvard and completed a second master’s degree in 2009 as a graduate student in the highly selective Urban Superintendents Program.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of California, Los Angeles, and also studied music education and classical violin at the UCLA School of Arts.
Guerrero recently celebrated his 20-year anniversary with wife Carolyn, who is a longtime elementary school teacher; they have a son and daughter who are recent public high school graduates.
As an espoused public servant who as a youth attained the rank of Eagle Scout, grew up as an English language learner, and studied music, Guerrero advocates for environment-related causes, immigrant rights, and is an arts education champion.
Superintendent Videos
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In an extended interview with KGW, Superintendent Guerrero pledges to protect undocumented students.
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More Videos
Superintendent Guerrero welcomes students to remodeled Grant High School (KGW):
Superintendent Guerrero speaks on immigrants in schools, during a Board of Education meeting:
Introduction of Superintendent Guerrero in 2017 (OregonLive):
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Friday Forum featuring Superintendent Guerrero (City Club of Portland):
A conversation with Superintendent Guerrero (City Club of Portland):
A message on COVID-19 from Superintendent Guerrero:
Superintendent Guerrero visits Chief Joseph Elementary School on the final day of the 2017-18 school year:
New Faces in Public Education forum at Franklin High School:
Recapping Superintendent Guerrero's first year in PPS:
Superintedent Guerrero speaks about racial justice at a Board of Education meeting:
Superintendent Guerrero joins Harriet Tubman students in a speical viewing of the movie "Harriet":
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Messages From The Superintendent
District News
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Reflecting on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
1/18/2021Dear PPS Students, Families and Colleagues,
Today we celebrate and honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a hero of mine. As his influence is seen and felt in the ongoing movement for racial justice, I want to share this video created by the Boise-Eliot/Humboldt Elementary School community. They found a creative way to unify their voices to bring us a unique reading of Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech of 1963, originally delivered to a crowd of almost a quarter million people at the March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington D.C. I think you will enjoy this collaboratively produced presentation of Dr. King’s words brought to life by a new generation of change-makers for justice at PPS.
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Reacting to the Events of January 6: A Message from Superintendent Guerrero
1/7/2021Dear PPS Families,
I join all those in public education across the country who denounce the attack on the U.S. Capitol yesterday. The violent and ultimately failed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was traumatic to witness for all of us, including our students, but I remain optimistic about their future and our country’s.
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A Message from Superintendent Guerrero
12/18/2020Dear PPS Families and Colleagues,
I hope that you, your students and those around you, find opportunities to restore, laugh, and find joy during this winter break. The year 2020 has been a challenge for all of us, both individually and as a community.
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Statement on Tragic Death of George Floyd from Guadalupe Guerrero, PPS Superintendent
5/28/2020My heart breaks.
My heart breaks for the Black lives that continue to be lost to racist brutality and the failure of recognizing our shared humanity.
Contacts
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Guadalupe GuerreroSuperintendentCheryl PitmanConfidential Executive Assistant