The St. Vrain Valley School District’s Board of Education held a meeting on Wednesday night, during which the board members praised the 16-year tenure of Superintendent Dr. Don Haddad, who announced his retirement last week. The board also laid out a timeline and process for selecting Dr. Haddad’s replacement. Dr. Haddad will be back to the district next year in the role of Superintendent Emeritus to support the new superintendent.
“I’m excited about opportunities to see how the district moves forward,” Dr. Haddad told the Longmont Leader. “It’s an exciting time. Just continuing to be part of that will be very enjoyable for me and something that I look forward to. I will be supportive of the new superintendent in whatever capacity that looks like where I can be most helpful.”
Dr. Haddad has worked in education for 40 years and has served as the superintendent of the St. Vrain Valley School District since 2009. Board President Karen Ragland started the meeting with a list of Dr. Haddad’s accomplishments, including his commitment to take a lower salary for a couple of years while the district was “reeling from a financial emergency.” “His commitment to attract and retain the most qualified teachers and administrators during his tenure made St. Vrain schools one of the highest-paid districts in the state and a destination district for the best candidates,” President Ragland said.
Board Vice President Jim Berthold compared Dr. Haddad with leaders he has worked with in the military, federal government, and Congress. “I’ve been associated with many, many high level really good leaders. I’ve always told everybody you’re the top,” Berthold said. “Because you’re consistent and you’re stable. Because of that, this district is consistently stable.”
“It’s the people who teach us that allow us to become the people who we are,” board member Meosha Brooks said. “Thank you for your dedication. Thank you for giving back to this community where most people sometimes will take from a community, you’ve given so much of your time, your talents and your efforts to this community.”
“I absolutely love St. Vrain,” Dr. Haddad told the Longmont Leader. “I have made so many lifelong friendships and developed so many lifelong relationships that I will always remember St. Vrain in the happiest way possible. I love public education. I love my time as a teacher. I love my time as a principal, as a superintendent. I am just so proud of the students and the teachers and our staff and our community. It’s been really a remarkable experience for me.”
The district is now accepting internal applications for the role of superintendent, which pays between $275,000–$375,000 annually. The board may decide to accept external applications if there are no qualified, interested applicants internally. The application submission period will close on May 1, interviews will be conducted the week of May 5, and finalists will be announced on May 14. The board will choose a superintendent on May 28 and the start date will be July 1, 2025.
