The Jeffco School Board unanimously selected Tracy Dorland, the current deputy superintendent for Adams 12 Five Star Schools, as the only finalist for the Jeffco Schools superintendent position. The board announced their finalist selection at a special March 25 meeting.
“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.”
Dorland began her career as an elementary school teacher in 1999. She also has experience as a principal and principal supervisor in addition to her central administration experience.
Dorland has experience in Adams 12, DPS
Dorland spent several years working for Denver Public Schools before her time at Adams 12. Dorland started as a classroom teacher at DPS, eventually becoming an assistant principal, principal, and instructional superintendent. Later she served as the executive director of educational effectiveness, and then served as the deputy chief academic officer at DPS.
In 2013, Adams 12 hired her as chief academic officer, and she moved to the deputy superintendent position in 2017.
Dorland has a Master’s degree in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Colorado Denver, as well as a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
She lives in Jefferson County and has two children in Jeffco Schools.
Superintendent search process
After former Jeffco superintendent Jason Glass accepted a new position in Kentucky in early July, school board members said they wanted to conduct a search for Jeffco’s new superintendent.
Jeffco selected the superintendent search firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates (HYA) late in 2020. HYA immediately began advertising the position and initially tapped 43 potential candidates. Of that group, 28 submitted formal applications.
HYA also held several community forums with Jeffco parents, staff and community members in January to determine the criteria used to evaluate candidates. HYA presented feedback from the forums to board members, who used it to finalize the Leadership Profile Report and Desired Characteristics summary.
Applications were accepted through Feb. 15. Jeffco School Board members reviewed all 28 applications and selected seven candidates for initial interviews.
Board members held follow-up interviews with four candidates during the week of March 21. They unanimously selected Dorland as the finalist on March 23. All interviews were held virtually.
Next steps
By law, the names of superintendent finalists must be made public at least 14 days before a hiring vote.
That timeline would place a vote to officially hire Dorland in mid-April. Contract negotiations will also take place during the next few weeks.
“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, Jeffco School Board president.