Following a nationwide search culminating in finalist interviews with four qualified candidates, the Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to appoint Dr. Stacie Datteri as the next Superintendent of Lewis-Palmer School District 38.
During the regular Board of Education meeting at 6 p.m. on April 15, Board of Education members voted to both approve Dr. Datteri as the sole finalist, and approve a contract to begin July 1, 2024. Negotiations with ranked finalists began following Board of Education deliberations on April 6.
“I am humbled and honored to serve as your next superintendent of schools in Lewis-Palmer School District 38,” Dr. Datteri said. “As your next superintendent, I will lead with my core beliefs. I will focus first on always doing what is best for students. I will serve the students, community, families, and staff to ensure their success. I will lead the team at District 38 to achieve our collective goals through respectful interactions. I will work with the team and Board of Education to ensure access and opportunity for each and every student. Finally, I will lead the team to embrace unmet challenges and turn them into learning opportunities leading with courage and integrity.”
Dr. Datteri comes to District 38 with 21 years of administrative experience, and 29 years of experience in the field of education. Currently, she serves as Assistant Superintendent of Academic Achievement and Elementary, K-8 School Leadership in Greeley-Evans Weld County School District 6, where she has been employed since 2005.
“Our Board of Education looks forward to working with Dr. Datteri. She stood out through this incredibly competitive process due to her high qualities of demonstrated leadership that she brings to the table. She comes from a similar community and is committed to becoming immersed in ours. Her energy and enthusiasm for student-focused initiatives is invigorating, too,” said Tiffiney Upchurch, President of the Lewis-Palmer School District 38 Board of Education.
Mrs. Upchurch added Dr. Datteri will bring classroom and school-based experience with her, and will embody the District 38 vision of elevating the futures of every student, every day.
“Importantly, she doesn’t ask her people to do the impossible, and she will be a good captain at the helm of our already successful ship,” Mrs. Upchurch said. “Still, we realize we have room to grow, and she is looking forward to leaning into the strategic plan and thinking outside the box. While we have challenges to tackle, including staff pay, she recognizes we must approach all of this through the lens of serving our students and partnering with parents.”
According to Dr. Datteri, she will approach her first six months by listening to learn with the goal of contextualizing her experiences through a District 38 lens. She intends to engage students, current families, community members and staff to ask for their advice and experiences to inform her work.
“I really am perfectly positioned through my years of experience, and through the professional journey I’ve taken to date, to seamlessly join the District 38 team. I believe I will be here for the next 10 years or beyond, and be a partner in this District’s journey,” Dr. Datteri said.
The process of selecting a new superintendent began in December after Dr. KC Somers announced he would resign effective March 31. Through that point, the Board of Education engaged in multiple public engagement opportunities, solicited more than 1,000 responses to a community survey, and conducted a public forum culminating in a strengths survey that generated nearly 200 in-depth responses which aided the Board in their decision.
Mrs. Upchurch said, “For everybody in our community of staff, students, families and friends, what this process showed was there was value in hearing all voices. Anybody who engaged in the process had an equal voice at the table through this process, and we believe each of these key groups had a voice in determining this decision. From the Board’s perspective, this was not an easy decision, and those who interviewed brought incredible strengths to the table. At the end of this process, we are confident in our decision, and our team in place, and in our ability to move forward and elevate as a district.”