Was top school choice hiding in plain sight?

To the casual observer, the McMinnville School Board’s unanimous Monday night embrace of Dr. Kourtney Ferrua as the next superintendent of schools here may seem the product of a whirlwind courtship.

But insiders have seen big things coming from Ferrua since her early teaching days at Sue Buel, if not earlier. In fact, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say she began collecting local admirers back in kindergarten at Cook Elementary, and kept collecting them through a stellar four years at Mac High.

Debbie Brockett was voted out as superintendent because she had lost trust and respect among too many members of the district’s staff and governing board. Boiled down to its basic essentials, it’s really as simple as that: Colleagues and members of the board she answered to had lost faith in her somewhat insular, circle-the-wagons leadership, making it impossible for her to continue.

Ferrua, named interim in the aftermath, starts out at the opposite end of the spectrum. Known for a collaborative and inclusive style, she has amassed a considerable reservoir of local support.

The depth and breadth of that allegiance quickly became apparent after the board engaged in a round of public vacillation between embarking on an all-out search or simply anointing the hometown favorite up front. In the face of it, opposition to forgoing the traditional formal search melted and the board ended up rewarding Ferrua its full endorsement.

We see nothing wrong with board members debating their options in public. Now that a course has been set, though, they must find ways to resume pulling together in common cause. Anything less would be a breach of the public trust.

We were initially among those envisioning the need for a full search. But Ferrua’s trial by fire the past six months makes us comfortable simply sealing the deal.

Former superintendent Maryalice Russell recognized Ferrua’s potential early, and started her on a management track by naming her principal at Wascher Elementary.

In 2017, Russell introduced her as a “rock-star principal” to a delegation of state dignitaries, touring Wascher and Mac High to examine elements of education innovation in action. Two years later, she was named Oregon principal of the year and earn national distinguished principal recognition.

Ferrua holds a B.A. from the University of San Francisco, M.A. from the University of Portland and doctorate from the University of Oregon. In recent years, she has been working from the central office as director of curriculum, giving her experience in the upper reaches of district management.

She has also co-authored a book, joined her husband in raising two children and volunteered widely in the community. And she has twice been a finalist for other Oregon superintendencies, suggesting she’s not just turning heads here.

In a 2016 letter to the editor, she said: “One of the attributes that makes our community special is our commitment to state-of-the art education for our kids. Throughout the decades I have lived here, I have benefited from that commitment.”

It seems to us that we’ve lost some of our edge in that regard, and a revival is in order. Who better to lead it than a heralded member from our own ranks?