Noor resigns as deputy schools superintendent; Gill takes over as acting head

Salam Noor resigned abruptly Wednesday, Oct. 11, as deputy superintendent of public instruction and was replaced immediately in an acting role by former schools superintendent Colt Gill.

Neither Gov. Kate Brown, whose office made the announcement, nor Noor provided a reason for his resignation. Although the resignation took effect Wednesday, Noor wrote in a letter to Oregon Department of Education staff that his last day of employment at ODE would be Dec. 31. Brown had appointed him to the post in July 2015.

Betty Reynolds, OSBA president and a member of the West Linn-Wilsonville School Board, said Noor had been “a great partner with Oregon school board members in their important volunteer role.”

“We want to thank Salam Noor for his service on behalf of Oregon students, and especially for his leadership in drafting Oregon’s plan under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act,” she said.

Reynolds also welcomed Gill as acting deputy superintendent of public instruction. Gill has held the post of Oregon education innovation officer since April 2016, charged primarily with lifting high school graduation rates. Oregon’s rate of 75 percent is among the lowest in the country.

In a decade as superintendent of the Bethel School District in Eugene, Gill established a track record of closing the achievement gap for students of color and improving graduation rates in spite of obstacles such as poverty.

“Colt Gill has a demonstrated record of lifting student achievement and graduation rates and we look forward to working with him as he takes on the position of acting deputy superintendent of public instruction,” Reynolds said.