Weber school officials to announce superintendent pick on March 2
-
- The Weber School District headquarters building in Washington Terrace is pictured on Friday, Sept. 28, 2018.
-
- Weber School District Superintendent Jeff Stephens is surprised by his family and peers at the school district office on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. Stephens was named Utah’s Superintendent of the Year.
-
- Weber School District officials plan to announce the new superintendent to replace the departing Jeff Stephens on March 2, 2022. This map shows the boundaries of the Weber School District high schools. The district encompasses all of Weber County except for the city of Ogden, covered by the Ogden School District.
The search is on for a superintendent to lead the Weber School District after the departure of Jeff Stephens, who’s retiring effective June 30.
The wheels are in motion, with applications to be accepted until Feb. 4 and a new district leader to be announced on March 2. Lane Findlay, the district spokesperson, said school officials want to make the pick with plenty of lead time before Stephens departs so the new official can be attuned to board actions in the spring that bear on the 2022-2023 school year.
Notably, school officials typically make new administrative appointments for the coming year in April, Findlay noted.
“We want the new superintendent to be involved in this process since there will be a lot of changes within the district. There are several other administrators and school principals who are also retiring at the end of the school year, so it really creates a domino effect,” he said.
The Utah School Boards Association is handling the application process, thus Findlay didn’t have any information on the number of applications received thus far. Details of the process — which formally kicked off in early Jaunary — are posted on the Weber School District website.
Stephens, in his 11th year as superintendent, announced his retirement early last month. He’s only the second superintendent in the Weber School District in the last 21 years, Findlay said.
He noted Stephens’ efforts leading the district through three bond elections, including one last November, and the massive growth that’s occurred during his tenure. Stephens has put a focus on equity issues, implementation of new technology in schools and augmenting mentoring initiatives for new teachers, he added.
“Our board relies heavily on his experience and expertise, so it will be no small task finding his replacement,” Findlay said. The district covers all of Weber County with the exception of Ogden, covered by the Ogden School District.
A 24-member citizens committee will initially review the applications starting Feb. 10, with each member scoring the candidates using a predetermined rubric. School board members will review those evaluations on Feb. 15 and then pinpoint the top candidates, interviewing them before the end of February.
The Weber School District, with 45 schools and more than 33,000 students, is the seventh-largest in Utah, according to district data. Much of the new growth in Weber County occurs within district boundaries in the western expanse of the county, resulting in growth of around 300-400 students per year.
