Beginning in the fall of 2020, Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Lora Nordquist must lead the school district using an anti-racist lens after the school board approved a new mandate on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020.a myriad of cultural viewpoints, prioritize hiring a more diverse workforce, conduct an annual survey of marginalized students and families, and take other equity-focused actions.

Lora Nordquist, assistant superintendent of Bend-La Pine Schools, will serve as the school district’s interim superintendent for the 2020-21 school year following a unanimous Bend-La Pine School Board vote Wednesday night.

The search for a new full-time superintendent to replace the departing Shay Mikalson, was put on pause due to travel restrictions from the novel coronavirus, according to the school district.

Nordquist has been Bend-La Pine’s assistant superintendent for eight years, and served in other administrative roles before that. She is a grandmother of five current or future Bend-La Pine students, according to Bend-La Pine Schools.

— Bulletin staff report