La Grande district names new student services director to lead support programs

La Grande School District is adding a new layer of leadership around the services families notice most when a child needs help keeping up, staying included or getting the right supports in place. The district has selected Cristina Johnson-Hyde as its next Director of Student Services, pending La Grande School Board approval, with a July 1 start date.

Johnson-Hyde comes to La Grande from Baker School District, where she was serving as principal and director of early learning for Baker Virtual Academy. She also previously worked as director of special education in Pullman, Washington. District materials say her background includes districtwide efforts to improve special education and Section 504 programs, build early identification and intervention systems, strengthen inclusive practices and support schools through complex compliance and student support needs.

That portfolio reaches directly into the daily lives of students and parents. The Director of Student Services oversees special education, Section 504, behavioral and mental health support systems and other specialized programs meant to remove barriers to learning. In La Grande, that work already includes regular special education parent nights, with sessions listed for Oct. 29, 2025, Jan. 21, 2026 and April 29, 2026, giving families a standing place to ask questions and hear about services. The district’s Section 504 guidance also addresses service animals, students with intensive health care needs, revocation of special education consent in favor of 504 accommodations, graduation issues and discipline under Section 504.

The scale of the job is significant. The Oregon Department of Education says La Grande School District serves 1,980 students, and 21% of them are students with disabilities. The same district profile shows a 93.2% four-year graduation rate, an 88.4% five-year completion rate, a 60.9% regular attendance rate and a 43.6% college-going rate, all numbers that make early intervention and consistent support especially important.

Superintendent George Mendoza, who was named the 2026 Oregon Superintendent of the Year by the Oregon Association of School Executives, described Johnson-Hyde as a student-centered leader who values relationships, collaboration and continuous improvement. Johnson-Hyde said she was excited to join a community deeply committed to students and looked forward to listening, learning and working alongside staff and families. La Grande’s staff page still listed Erika Dockweiler as director of student services, underscoring that the district was still moving through the formal approval process as it prepared for the transition.