Vancouver Public Schools
New superindentent search
Our next VPS Superintendent: Dr. Rocky Torres-Morales
After careful consideration, our VPS Board of Directors, guided by your feedback and with our Vision of a Graduate in mind, selected Dr. Ricardo “Rocky” Torres-Morales as the next Superintendent of Vancouver Public Schools.
The Process: Our search for the next VPS Superintendent
Our VPS Board of Directors conducted a search for our next permanent superintendent with the professional support of a superintendent search firm, Ray and Associates.
Choosing a new superintendent is one of the most important decisions for our schools and our community.
We strongly believe that finding the best candidate could only be accomplished with our community’s partnership and involvement. Throughout the search, there were multiple opportunities for families, staff, and community members to share their perspectives. Your input helped shape the superintendent profile and guided the board toward a final decision. We remain committed to making the process inclusive, transparent, and guided by your voices.
Please note: Our interim superintendent and interim associate superintendent are not eligible for this position.
Meet the superintendent search finalists
Dr. Shawn Bird
Dr. Shawn Bird has dedicated his entire career to serving children in some of the largest urban school districts in the country. He currently serves as the Deputy Superintendent of Academics, School Leadership, and Partnership Services for the San Antonio Independent School District. Prior to his arrival in San Antonio, he was Chief Academic Officer for HISD. Bird grew up in Houston and has served in public education for over 25 years. He began his career as a high school English teacher, and has also held the position of secondary literacy coach, assistant principal, and principal before moving to California where he worked in the Los Angeles Unified School District as a principal supervisor and in Pasadena Unified School District as the Chief Academic Officer.
Dr. Stacey M. Park
Dr. Stacey M. Park has been serving students and families in education for 25 years. Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in California, Stacey’s K-12 experience was filled with the language and culture challenges many immigrant families face. Because of this experience, her lifelong mission is to ensure that all students, especially historically underserved students, have access to a high quality education.
Dr. Park is currently the assistant superintendent and chief academic officer at Roaring Fork Schools in Colorado. Under her leadership, district proficiency growth rates have consistently exceeded the state average, and the number of district schools meeting or exceeding state standards has grown from 55% to 88%. She is known for her vision of high-quality teaching and learning, student-centered decision making, systems creation, and equity-forward thinking.
Dr. Pete Perez
Dr. Pete Perez serves as Superintendent of the Othello School District, where he leads a diverse system serving 4,500 students and more than 700 dedicated staff members. With 30 years of experience in education, Pete is a passionate advocate for academic excellence, equity, and community empowerment. Known for his hands-on leadership and commitment to collaboration, he works closely with school boards to support them in meeting their goals for students while keeping a clear and consistent focus on teaching, learning, and continuous growth for all learners.
Dr. Rocky Torres-Morales
Dr. Torres-Morales is a 21st-century progressive educator who began his career as a bilingual special education teacher in the New York City Department of Education. Subsequently, he worked as a school administrator in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Currently, he serves as the Associate Superintendent for Seattle Public Schools. Dr. Torres-Morales has coached educators and provided numerous professional development sessions focused on multilingual education, curriculum, equity, mindset, Restorative Practices, instruction, and community voice. Throughout his career, he has worked with diverse learners and demonstrated the ability to meet goal targets and consistently increase student achievement, particularly for those traditionally most marginalized.
How you can be involved
Our New Superintendent Top Qualities Profile
A sincere thank you to our community for your ongoing support and for taking the time to respond to our 31 Qualities survey. Plus, 152 students, staff, and community members joined us for focus group discussions in mid-September.
Your feedback is invaluable to help us find a strong, experienced leader who fits the needs of our unique students, staff and community.
The top qualities our community identified led us to develop our professional job posting which lists:
Our Next Superintendent
The VPS Board is seeking a skilled administrator to lead our vibrant, diverse school system.
Someone who: