St. Cloud school district Assistant Superintendent Laurie Putnam will take the helm of the central Minnesota district next year.
The St. Cloud school board on Wednesday voted unanimously to select Putnam, assistant superintendent of secondary education, as the next leader to replace Superintendent Willie Jett when he departs in June.
"Putnam is a rising star that is a great educational leader now and will prove to be an even more exceptional leader in the future," said Les Green, a school board member, in a news release.
Putnam said in an interview that she is humbled and honored to have the support of the school board and community.
"It's been really moving to hear students and families and our staff and community members so excited for this continuation of leadership," she said. "Education is a team sport. This is hard work and no one person does this alone, so to know I am going into this new role with the backing of this community is unbelievable. That's how we're going to move the great work that's been started forward."
Jett announced in October he will leave the district at the end of the school year, citing plans to spend time with family and pursue other interests. Jett, 57, was selected in February 2013 to lead the district of about 10,000 students.
"Going back eight years, we were looking for a significant change in the district — a new approach, a new way to do things, a new way to deliver education," said Al Dahlgren, who has served on the school board since 2012 and was part of board that hired Jett. "We were looking for someone to come in with a completely new perspective."
During Jett's tenure, the district has implemented new educational practices such as co-teaching and individualized education, added mental health resources and resources for the growing population of English-learners, reduced suspensions to keep kids in school and added more teachers and administrators of color.
