17 Facts About Susan Castillo

Susan Castillo was born on August 14,1951 and is a politician in the US state of Oregon who most recently served as Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2003 to 2012.

Susan Castillo cites watching her mother's struggles as a source of her understanding of the importance of education.

In 1982, Susan Castillo began an award-winning broadcast journalism career, joining the reporting team at Oregon Public Radio; she became a reporter for KVAL-TV in 1982.

Susan Castillo was the first Hispanic woman be seated in the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and would later become the first to gain election to a statewide office.

Susan Castillo was first appointed by the Lane County commissioners to fill a vacancy in the Oregon State Senate in 1996, winning re-election in 1998.

Susan Castillo became vice-chair of the Education Committee, dealing with such issues as charter schools, teacher tenure and school reform, and was selected an assistant Democratic leader for the 1999 and 2001 legislative sessions.

Susan Castillo was elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, a nonpartisan position, in the May, 2002, Oregon primary election.

Susan Castillo ran against the incumbent, Stan Bunn, a Republican whose administration had been marred by an ethics scandal, and Rob Kremer, a longtime charter school proponent.

Susan Castillo was sworn into office on January 6,2003, to a four-year term to oversee a State Education Department serving more than a half million students in over 1,200 public schools at a time when Oregon had experienced the worst budget shortfalls since World War II.

Susan Castillo faced turmoil within the agency, demoralized by her predecessor's alleged mismanagement and ethics violations, prompting a group of department employees to present the newly elected superintendent with a petition of grievances in a surprise public confrontation less than three weeks after taking office.

Concurrently, Susan Castillo restructured the Oregon Department of Education around three core functions: accountability; leadership; and school improvement.

Susan Castillo has defended the action as required under existing state law.

In December 2005, Susan Castillo announced she would run for a second term amidst widespread speculation she was considering a gubernatorial or congressional bid.

Susan Castillo was challenged by Deb Andrews, an Oak Grove education consultant, who said Oregon schools fail to match curriculum to individual students.

Susan Castillo was critical of reading instruction in most Oregon schools, which she proposed should employ phonics-based reading programs and Direct Instruction, a highly scripted teaching method used in a handful of Oregon schools.

In October 2009, Susan Castillo indicated she would run for another term, and defeated State Representative Ron Maurer in a close election in May 2010 to win a third term.

Susan Castillo resigned in June 2012 to become a vice president of Project Lead the Way, a provider of middle and high school math, science, and engineering curriculum.