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Tracy Dorland Named As Superintendent Finalist

Tracy Dorland Named As Superintendent Finalist
Posted on 03/25/2021
Tracy Dorland Named As Superintendent Finalist

The Jefferson County Board of Education is pleased to announce the selection of Tracy Dorland as their preferred candidate and sole finalist for superintendent of Jeffco Public Schools (Jeffco). For the past three and half years, Dorland has been the Deputy Superintendent of Adams 12 Five Star Schools, which serves approximately 37,000 students. As Deputy Superintendent, Dorland is responsible for leading across multiple district divisions to support strategic planning, community engagement, and implementation of a $350 million bond program, strategic technology investments, and successful academic initiatives. Dorland joined Adams 12 in 2013 as the district’s Chief Academic Officer and served as a teacher, principal, principal supervisor and central office leader in Denver Public Schools for over twelve years prior to joining Adams 12.

On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, the Board of Education met and unanimously selected Dorland as their preferred candidate. Board members will now undertake formal contract negotiations and other required steps before completing the hiring process. Once all steps are satisfactorily completed, the Board will take public action on the appointment of Dorland, which is expected in mid-April.

“We are very excited to announce Tracy Dorland as the sole finalist for our next superintendent. Her wide range of instructional and school leadership experience, collaborative leadership style, and knowledge of the Jefferson County community will enable her to acclimate quickly as our new leader,” said Susan Harmon, board president. “Tracy has a deep commitment to public education and has proven her dedication to work in the best interest of all students. We look forward to working with her to build upon our past success to best serve all of Jeffco’s students and families.”

Dorland is a passionate champion and strong believer in public education’s responsibility to equitably meet the needs of all students. This appointment builds upon her work beginning as an elementary classroom teacher in 1999, and spanning a variety of educational leadership positions in two Metro Denver area school districts. During her time in Adams 12, she has distinguished herself by increasing literacy achievement and graduation rates, ensuring academic rigor, improving school performance, and emphasizing community and family engagement efforts aimed at supporting all children in the classroom.

Before her time in Adams 12, Dorland worked in Denver Public Schools (DPS) as Deputy Chief Academic Officer, Executive Director of Educator Effectiveness, Instructional Superintendent, a principal, an assistant principal, and a classroom teacher. During her tenure in DPS, she progressed in expanded leadership opportunities due to her depth of knowledge in instructional practice, her collaborative skills and mindset, and her deep commitment to serving the diverse needs of students.

Dorland holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Colorado, Denver and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Dorland and her family reside in Jefferson County and her two children attend Jeffco schools.

“I am deeply honored to have been selected as the finalist for Jeffco’s next superintendent. Jeffco has a long tradition of excellence and has consistently been seen as one of the outstanding school systems in the country,” said Dorland. “As a longtime resident of Jeffco, I look forward to continuing the tradition of excellence and working with our schools, staff, students and our entire Jeffco community to achieve even greater success in student learning.”

As the superintendent search reaches conclusion, the Board of Education would like to express its gratitude for the Jeffco community who enthusiastically participated and provided insights throughout the process. From the outset of the search process, community members, parents, staff members, and students shared their perspectives, opinions, concerns, and ideas through the various meetings, focus groups and surveys. Information gathered from our Jeffco community formed the foundation of the criteria the Board used to evaluate candidates. This outcome would not have been possible without the active participation of our community. 

The search firm of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates (HYA) reviewed the candidacy of 43 individuals, of which 28 formally submitted applications. The candidate pool reflected a diverse group of individuals demographically, as well as in experience and geographic representation. The Board reviewed all submitted applications and conducted initial interviews with seven candidates and follow-up interviews with four candidates earlier this week. Board members reported that holding the interviews virtually permitted the Board to conduct the interviews efficiently and to spend ample time interacting with the candidates.

 

Superintendnent Dorland will start at Jeffco Public Schools on Monday, April 19, 2021.
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