Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg announced Tuesday that he will “pass the torch” of leadership, effectively stepping down as the man in charge of the state’s largest school district.
“Serving as DPS’ leader has been the honor of a lifetime for me,” Boasberg wrote in a letter. “The talent and commitment of our students and our educators never cease to inspire me. Spending time in classrooms, meeting with students, and collaborating with teachers, school leaders and district leaders have brought me great joy and given me great hope.”
Boasberg is not leaving immediately, he will stay on for three months. In that time, the Denver Board of Education will conduct their search for his successor.
In her own letter, Board President Ann Rowe said that the board was grateful that Boasberg agreed to stay for the additional time while they determine their next steps. They expect to make a public announcement about the process soon.
“Perhaps most importantly, almost 2,000 more of Denver’s children are graduating from high school every year, prepared for brighter futures,” Rowe wrote in her letter in reference to Boasberg’s impact over the decade he was with DPS.
Those 10 years at the top of the district was an unusually long tenure, as Chalkbeat Colorado notes.
Boasberg told Chalkbeat that his decision to step down wasn’t driven by district politics, but rather a “deep desire to spend more family time with my kids before they’re all gone, and a very strong confidence in our board of education, our leaders in the Denver Public Schools, and our ability to have a successful transition.”
A statement from the Denver Classroom Teachers Association said the next DPS superintendent should not be a political appointment or determined by a closed-door process. They called on the school board to have a public process that includes students, parents, teachers and the community in the pick of Boasberg’s successor.
