Beaverton families will get three chances to meet the district's new superintendent face-to-face before classes resume this fall.

Dr. Tony Smith, who started as Beaverton School District superintendent on July 1 after a unanimous school board vote, is holding informal drop-in sessions at three schools spread across the district. No speeches, no presentations, no agenda. Families can walk in at any point, introduce themselves, and leave when they're ready.

Here are the dates and locations:

• Thursday, Aug. 13, 7:30–9 a.m. — Tumwater Middle School Library
• Saturday, Aug. 15, noon–1:30 p.m. — Highland Park Middle School Library
• Wednesday, Sept. 2, 5:30–7 p.m. — Mountainside High School Community Room

The first two sessions fall before the school year opens Tuesday, Aug. 25.

Who is Dr. Tony Smith?

Smith came to Beaverton from Denver Public Schools, where he served as deputy superintendent. His career spans classroom teaching (he started as a high school English teacher), principal, instructional superintendent, and regional superintendent roles at KIPP Texas Public Schools in Dallas.

The Beaverton School Board and a community-based selection panel chose him unanimously after a nationwide search that began last August.

In the district's announcement of his July 1 start, Smith said: "My first priority is simple: look, listen and learn. I want to spend time in our schools, meet our students and staff, and hear directly from families and community members."

Why it matters

Smith inherits Oregon's second-largest school district at a challenging moment. BSD educates nearly 37,000 students across 54 schools, but enrollment dropped 2.3% year over year, and the district announced it needs to trim $25 million from its budget for the current school year.

The drop-in format signals how Smith plans to start: before he visited any boardroom podium, he stopped by BSD schools in March, April, and June after his hiring was announced, according to district communications.

The three session locations — one in the Tumwater area, one near Highland Park, one at Mountainside — give families in different parts of the district a nearby option. The varied times (early morning, midday Saturday, weekday evening) are structured so working parents have at least one window that fits.

No registration is required. Families can find details on the BSD communications page.