The High Desert Education Service District (HDESD) board of directors has appointed John Rexford as the new superintendent to replace Dr. Dennis Dempsey, who will be retiring in June. Rexford was selected by the board following a rigorous series of interviews and evaluations and an open house for community members and HDESD staff members.
“John’s experience and track record in education will be a tremendous asset to the High Desert Education Service District,” said HDESD Board Chair Terry Rahmsdorff. “He brings a high level of respect and credibility to his new role and we are confident that he will continue and expand upon the important work to bring regional services to the local school districts.”
Rexford will replace Dr. Dennis Dempsey who is retiring in June after 36 years of service in education.
“Dennis has been a champion for local schools and districts for many years,” said Rahmsdorff. “His leadership has been instrumental in guiding the work of the HDESD and we believe we have found an excellent successor to take on the challenge moving forward.”
Rexford currently serves as deputy superintendent for Bend-La Pine Schools, where he oversees overall organization and leadership of operations and special education for the district. Rexford has worked in education for 27 years, 23 of which have been with Bend-La Pine Schools.
“This new role allows me the opportunity to reach beyond Bend-La Pine to enhance education for students in Central Oregon,” said Rexford. “Finding cost-effective ways to bring high-quality services and programs to multiple school districts is critical during these economic times. We want to make sure families in all of our school districts have access to programs like special education.”
According to Rahmsdorff, the HDESD board of directors received feedback from more than 100 community and HDESD team members.
“We were glad to receive such thoughtful responses from so many people who care about education,” said Rahmsdorff. “We put a great deal of thought and care into this important leadership decision and it was helpful to have input from staff and community members.”
After several interviews, review of external feedback and hours of discussion and deliberation, Rahmsdorff explained that the board selected Rexford for the superintendent position.
“In the end, we narrowed the search down to two exceptional candidates. We believe John is the right person to take over the long-term leadership of our organization, said Rahmsdorff.
The HDESD is a regional support system that links school districts in Central Oregon to local, state and national education resources. The ESD works to help districts minimize duplication of services preserve local budgets and deliver special programs that might otherwise be unavailable to them. The High Desert Education Service District partners primarily with the school districts of Bend/LaPine, Crook County, Redmond and Sisters but also provides specialized services in seven counties in Central and Eastern Oregon.
