Superintendent Tracy Dorland will step down from leading Colorado’s second-largest K-12 system this summer, district officials announced Friday. Her last day will be July 5.
Dorland, in a letter to families and community members, said she is leaving to “pursue a new opportunity beginning later this summer.” She did not say specifically what that opportunity is.
“This decision did not come lightly, given my deep commitment and care for our students, staff and community,” Dorland wrote in the letter.
Dorland was hired as superintendent in 2021, making her Jeffco Public Schools’ sixth superintendent in seven years. She led the district through a difficult period, including students’ return to the classroom during the pandemic and amid significant budget cuts and school closures as K-12 enrollment fell.
“Five years ago, in April 2021, in the midst of a pandemic, I came home to serve this district — the district where I grew up, where I am raising my children, and where my family’s story has always been intertwined,” Dorland wrote in her letter. “From the outset, my commitment was to bring stability to a system that had experienced significant turnover and disruption and to position Jeffco for a stronger, more sustainable future.”
Jeffco Public Schools has faced other difficulties in recent years, including the investigation of a high-level administrator for purchasing child sexual abuse material and last year’s shooting at Evergreen High School.
The district’s teachers union unanimously voted “no confidence” in Dorland last year, a move the said was taken because of the superintendent’s failure to address school safety concerns and making decisions “behind closed doors.”
The Board of Education said in a letter to families that members will identify an interim superintendent who can lead the district after Dorland leaves. The board also will launch a national search for a new superintendent, directors wrote.
“Over the past five years, (Dorland) has led the district through a period of significant challenge and change, bringing stability and a clear focus on students,” the board wrote in a statement. “Under her leadership, the district has taken on complex and often difficult work to better align resources, strengthen academic outcomes, and position Jeffco for the future.”
Dorland is the second superintendent to resign from one of Colorado’s largest school districts this year. Christopher Smith, who led Cherry Creek Schools, abruptly stepped down in January.
