Meet your Oakridge School District superintendent – Dave McGrath

By GEORGE CUSTER/Editor/The Herald  — Having been both the acting superintendent and high school principal for about a year, Dave McGrath has finally passed muster and was selected to be the new superintendent of the Oakridge School District in the fall of 2023. Since that time, he has hired Kyle Kivett as the junior/senior high school principal, leaving Dave the opportunity to focus on the duties of running the school district. His official contract date will become effective July 1st of this year.

Personal and confident

You are put at ease the moment you walk into his office. McGrath has that easy going yet confident demeanor when you talk with him. And it’s no wonder. His breadth of experience spans over 30 years of working in educational systems in several states and has numerous awards and accolades that bolster his impressive resume.

 Superintendent McGrath prides himself on being an innovative problem solver

As a leader, he knows to trust his staff. When he first arrived at the Oakridge Junior/Senior High School and then accepting the interim seat as the superintendent, his staff kept asking him “how do you want this done?” His response was “You know how you’ve been doing, just keep doing it the way you have.” Dave doesn’t like to overturn the apple cart immediately and start making changes to a system until he has a chance to evaluate it. He strives to bring innovative solutions when faced with difficult issues.

A proven track record as an experienced leader

Having worked at both the K-12 and university level, he’s most proud of the improvements that he has instituted along the way. At Tejon Unified School District, he received Principal of the Year from the Association of California School Administrators for Region 11.

In 20012, McGrath took a break from education. Being an avid cyclist, he took his sabbatical working in the bicycle industry. He admitted that he kept an eye on education jobs in the state during his time away from education. He was drawn to Oakridge, having visited many times, mostly passing through. Dave’s wife of 35 years, Theresa, saw the Oakridge position for superintendent come open, Dave decided to put in for it.

Dave and Theresa have three grown children. Aaron, the oldest is married and he and his wife have two girls and one boy. Keil, the second oldest is single. Max, their youngest, is married. Dave, Theresa and their children all live in Oregon City.