QuickTake:

Shawn Stover has more than 30 years of experience in education, ranging from teacher to upper leadership positions in Texas, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina. He is set to start work July 1, pending approval of his contract by the Springfield school board.

Springfield Public Schools has named Shawn Stover as its next superintendent.

The district announced its interim leader Friday, June 12. Pending contract approval at the next board meeting, Stover will start July 1. He will serve during the 2026-27 school year as the district searches for a permanent superintendent.

Interim Superintendent Shawn Stover. Credit: Springfield Public Schools

Details of Stover’s contract, including his salary, were not immediately available Friday.

“The board was unanimous in our enthusiastic support for Dr. Stover,” said school board Chair Jonathan Light in the district’s press release. “He has a wealth of experience working in a variety of school districts across the United States, and we feel he is the perfect choice to lead Springfield Public Schools as our Interim Superintendent.”

Stover, who will come to Springfield via Rockingham Public Schools, a district in north-central North Carolina, has more than 30 years of experience in education. He also has personal Oregon connections. According to his cover letter, Stover’s grandfather grew up in Oregon and Stover spent “many formative summers” visiting him.

In addition to his most recent four-year tenure as superintendent, Stover served as chief of secondary schools and instruction for District of Columbia Public Schools in Washington, D.C., for nine years; superintendent for Uplift Education Charter Schools in Dallas, Texas, for three years; and senior managing director for Teach for America for three years.

Stover’s earlier career highlights include experience as a teacher and principal in North Carolina school districts.

Stover received his doctorate of education at Marymount University in Virginia, his master’s degree in school administration from East Carolina University and his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He was one of three candidates interviewed June 9 by district staff, parents, students and community members. The other finalists were Thurston High School Principal Kimberlee Pelster and Michael Carter, schools superintendent in Lake County.

“It is a privilege to be selected to serve Springfield Public Schools,” Stover said in the press release. “I look forward to working alongside students, staff, families, and community partners to build on the district’s strengths and ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed.”

Lilly is a graduate of Indiana University and has worked as a journalist at the Indianapolis Star and in Burlington, Vermont, as well as working as a foreign language teacher in France. She covers education and children's issues for Lookout Eugene-Springfield.