The St. Paul Public Schools Board of Education selected Stacie Stanley as its next superintendent Thursday evening after a months-long search process.
Contract negotiations with Stanley, the Edina Public Schools superintendent, will begin in January, after the district’s winter break. Her start date will be determined during those negotiations.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to accept the position of Superintendent of Saint Paul Public Schools. This opportunity to serve the students, families, educators and community I grew up in fills me with both gratitude and purpose,” Stanley said in a statement.
During the search for the district’s next superintendent, the board interviewed Stanley on Wednesday about her plans for the district, and also heard from her about her career academic achievements.
Her background
Stanley attended St. Paul Public Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade, eventually graduating from Central Senior High School, which is also the alma mater of board member Chauntyll Allen.
Stanley holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Bethel University in Arden Hills, and a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from St. Catherine University in St. Paul.
She started her career in occupational therapy before switching to education as a math teacher. Stanley has served as superintendent of Edina Public Schools since July 2021 and is the president-elect of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. She previously served as associate superintendent at Eden Prairie Schools. Stanley has also held leadership positions in the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District, Roseville Area Schools and East Metro Integration District.
In some of her roles, Stanley has worked on curriculum assessment instruction and support services and programs for English language learners.
During her interview with the district, Stanley described herself as transparent and community-oriented, with experience in improving achievement outcomes and literacy efforts.
“Well, St. Paul is my community because I grew up here, and so it’s just natural and normal to anchor myself. I know I have the skills and have done so in other districts to really help improve performance outcomes in St. Paul Public Schools,” Stanley said.
About public involvement and transparency in decision-making
Stanley also said that when she joined Edina Public Schools, she created leadership teams of superintendent students.
“Principals actually select our student scientists and leaders who come to work with me, and I give them the space to talk about things they see they can do better within their school system. And then they created a project and led that project,” Stanley said.
Students on the team have led efforts in areas such as mental health and inclusivity, Stanley said
Stanley said transparency is about working with the public. In Edina, Stanley says she is bringing together about fifty community members, including students, families and business leaders, so that school officials from Stanley’s team can give a presentation on the progress of the district’s strategic plan. Feedback can then be used to make changes to the plan, she said.
“Again, really being authentic, being transparent, building trust, making sure that the voices of our community, the voices of our students, are not only heard, but we give them the space to act on them,” Stanley said.
To get input on the district’s budget and cuts, Stanley and Edina Public Schools’ business services director visits each school site and neighborhood to get feedback, Stanley said. Stanley emphasized educating community members and making information accessible to them.
Edina Public Schools has a budget of about $140 million, according to Stanley.
About improving learning outcomes
Stanley said during her board interview Wednesday that if selected as superintendent, she will create an academic advisory team for superintendent that includes members of the executive leadership team, principals and other members relevant to supporting students. The team will allow the district to remain focused on its performance goals, Stanley said.
To ensure strong student outcomes, the district needs a strong, ongoing school improvement plan that includes specific, measurable goals, she said. In Edina, that includes a focus on math, literacy and culture and climate, Stanley said.
As associate superintendent, Stanley said she met with principals about the plan every month and focused on progress indicators and adjustments to the plan.
About supporting students with disabilities and multilingual students
Stanley said she wants to advocate for additional uniform programming for students with disabilities and would like to learn more about the district’s compliance with Individualized Education Program requirements.
When it comes to multilingual students, Stanley says it’s important to work with ESL teachers so they can better understand the data and use it to meet benchmarks for multilingual students.
The full interview can be viewed at spps.org/about/board-of-education/board-meeting-recordings under the Board of Education Meetings 2024 section.
Additional background information on searching for superintendents can be found at spps.org/superintendentsearch.
