Emily Featherston
BOE President Nancy Corona reads Phillips' letter to the board.
Superintendent Sheila Phillips announced Monday morning she will be retiring from her position as an administrator to focus on directly helping children, effective Sept. 1.
Board of Education President Nancy Corona read a letter Phillips submitted to the board on July 20, where Phillips indicated she wished to retire.
In the letter, Phillips said it has been a privilege to serve in her position with the school system, and said she was happy to assist in the transition.
Phillips came on as superintendent in 2015, after serving as assistant superintendent beginning in 2012 and as assistant principal at the high school beginning in 2010.
In 2016, Phillips was named “Superintendent to Watch” by the National School Public Relations Association.
Phillips was the sixth superintendent for the district, following Jamie Blair, who retired in 2015.
In her time as superintendent, Phillips has led the district through multiple high-profile issues, including the district’s 2015-2016 rebranding campaign and the recent middle school alignment and facilities changes.
Phillips thanked the board in an emotional statement at the end of the meeting, and said she greatly appreciated the administrative staff and school faculty members she has been able to work with, and thanked them for understanding her decision to step down.
“To truly go back to being the hands and feet and to serve children directly is where my passion is,” Phillips said.
“I know that as a team we’ve made things better for the students of this community, and we have cherished the privilege of serving alongside one another,” she said.
Phillips said that she has flown on the coattails of the talented students and teachers, and that her time at the helm has delivered great things.
“It truly has been a highlight,” she said.
Corona said the process going forward would immediately begin with a search for an interim superintendent, with the formal process of finding a permanent replacement for Phillips looking much like the 2014 process.
The goal, she said, would be to have a new superintendent in place by the end of this calendar year.
“We are respectful of this decision, even if we don’t like it,” Corona said, indicating that the board was sad to see Phillips go.
