The St. Paul Public Schools Board of Education selected Stacie Stanley as its next superintendent Thursday night following a months-long search process.

Contract negotiations with Stanley, who is Edina Public Schools’ superintendent, are to begin in January following the district’s winter break. Her start date will be decided 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 on her plans for the district, as well as heard from her on academic outcomes in her career.

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 has a doctorate in educational leadership from Bethel University in Arden Hills, and a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in K-8 elementary education from St. Catherine University in St. Paul.

She started her career in occupational therapy before moving into education as a math teacher. Stanley has been 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 also has held leadership roles 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 English-learner programs.

During her interview with the district, Stanley described herself as transparent and community-oriented, with experience improving achievement outcomes and literacy efforts.

“Well, St. Paul is my community because I grew up here, and so it is just natural and normal to embed myself. I know that I have the skill sets and have done it in other districts to really help increase achievement outcomes in St. Paul Public Schools,” Stanley said.

On public engagement, transparency in decision making

Stanley also said that when she joined Edina Public Schools, she started superintendent-student leadership teams.

“Principals actually select our student scholars and leaders that come to work with me, and I give them that space to talk about things that they see that could be better within their school system. And then they put together a project, and they lead that project,” Stanley said.

Students on the team have led efforts in areas such as mental health and inclusion, Stanley said

Stanley said transparency is about working with the public. In Edina, Stanley said she brings around 50 community members, including students, families and business leaders, together so school officials from Stanley’s team can present on progress on 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 it,” Stanley said.

To receive input on the district’s budget and cuts, Stanley and Edina Public Schools’ director of business services visit each school site and neighborhoods to get feedback each year, Stanley said. Stanley emphasized educating community members and making information accessible to them.

Edina Public Schools has a budget of around $140 million, according to Stanley.

On improving student outcomes

Stanley said at her board interview Wednesday that if selected as superintendent, she will create a superintendent academic advisory team that will include members of the executive leadership team, principals and other members relevant to supporting students. The team will allow the district to stay focused on its performance targets, 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 an associate superintendent, Stanley said she met with principals every month about the plan and focused on progress indicators and adjustments to the plan.

On supporting students with disabilities, multilingual students

Stanley said she wants to advocate for additional unified 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 said it’s important to work with ESL teachers so they can better understand and use data to meet benchmarks for multilingual students.

The entire interview can be viewed at spps.org/about/board-of-education/board-meeting-recordings under the 2024 Board of Education Meetings section.

Additional background on the superintendent search can be found at spps.org/superintendentsearch.

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