Late in the summer of pandemic-stricken 2020, Susan Halliday stepped into the school district’s top administrative position after then-superintendent Philip “Buzz” Brazeau decided to step down because of health concerns.
The Philomath School Board installed Halliday in the position with the interim label attached, a designation that Brazeau also carried with no permanent solution decided upon following Melissa Goff’s departure in 2019.
Six months later, Halliday, the former elementary school principal at Philomath and Blodgett, was named the permanent superintendent. The school district was able to promote from within, a particular strategy that seemed to be favored by board members, if possible.
On Thursday night during the School Board’s regular monthly meeting, a new three-year contract for Halliday was unanimously approved.
“Susan is extremely easy to work with,” School Board Chair Rick Wells said following the meeting. “She’s not looking for a huge, golden parachute as she gets older and she realizes that she’s $20,000 less than comparable school districts.”
Halliday’s salary will be $148,410 for the 2025-26 school year. In 2026-27, she is scheduled to receive a cost-of-living adjustment that matches whatever licensed administrators receive but with a limit of no more than 4%. Halliday also receives a comprehensive benefits package.
“The way I look at it — and I’m kind of conservative on things — she came in the position with no experience — not even a high school principalship,” Wells said about Halliday, who has worked for the district for 17 years. “So she was on a very steep learning curve and you’re not going to be at the top pay rate when you’re on the learning curve. But she’s done a very admirable job. I’ve got no real concerns about it … we have discussions every now and then on little things.”
Back in December 2020 roughly four months after Halliday was named as the interim, the School Board started the necessary steps to begin the hiring process for a permanent school superintendent. But by the following month, the board opted to suspend the search to focus on the overwhelming range of issues involved with educating children during a pandemic.
Halliday’s performance on the job, however, appeared to be catching the attention of the board members.
“We would as a board like to recognize the tremendous work that Superintendent Halliday has been doing through the most challenging of times this school year and we thank her for all of her effort, time and dedication,” then-board member Shelley Niemann said during a meeting. “We know you will continue to do so and put our students first and keep everyone in our district safe.”
Less than a month later, Halliday was offered the permanent position.
During Thursday’s meeting, Wells provided a brief review of changes that had been made to Halliday’s previous contract that would be going into effect. The three-year agreement begins July 1 and runs through fiscal year 2027-28 — although options exist for extensions, revised terms or nonrenewal.
The board approved the contract on a 5-0 vote.
