Español | русский | 中文
March 31, 2022
Dear DCSD Families,
Good morning. My name is Erin Kane, and beginning today I will be leading and serving as your Superintendent. I am truly honored to be back in the role of Superintendent, and am looking forward to connecting with each of you – those I have had the honor to get to know previously, and those who I haven’t met yet.
First, I want to sincerely thank Andy Abner and Danelle Hiatt for serving as the school district’s acting superintendents over the past couple of months. Andy and Danelle stepped up to fill a big need on short notice. I am extremely grateful that they were willing to share their expertise and I recognize the additional time they dedicated over the past six weeks. I look forward to working with Andy, Danelle, and the entire district leadership team.
Now a little bit about me. Both my husband and I are Colorado natives. We have lived in Douglas County for over 22 years and raised our three children, now all college-aged, in this community. I hold a master’s degree in public administration, along with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and computer science, from the University of Colorado. For the first 10 years of my adult life, I worked in the software industry (data science) in development and management. When my children were very young, I left my full-time job to stay home and during that time, driven by a passion for STEM (which wasn’t even an acronym yet) education in the early grades, I helped start a Douglas County public charter school, American Academy. That choice completely changed the course of my career and ignited in me a passion for education. I served as the Executive Director of American Academy for many years, ultimately growing it to serve almost 3,000 students across three campuses in preschool through eighth grade. I also had the great pleasure of serving as Interim Superintendent for our school district from 2016 - 2018. These experiences have made me a fierce advocate for our kids, our wonderful school district, and ALL of our awesome public schools.
I recognize that our students, families, teachers, staff, and leaders have been through a lot over the last two years - we have never seen challenges like this in public education and I know we are all exhausted. I am incredibly proud of how our schools, staff, and families persevered through it all, always keeping our kids in focus. I recognize that our community is still facing conflict and division. However, as I listen carefully to what everyone is saying, I truly believe that we are much closer together than we think. Each of us wants what is best for every one of our 64,000 students. We all want DCSD to be the very best place to work and go to school. While we may have differing ideas and viewpoints on how to get there – I truly believe if we start with that common ground we can, and will, come together.
I am committed to starting this journey by visiting with and listening to teachers, district leaders, staff, parents, students, and community members. I will visit as many schools, district workplaces, and community groups as I can and provide opportunities for me to listen to YOU - our DCSD community.
I will be sharing my 100-day plan with the Board of Education on April 12. My focus will be on the following priorities:
-
Bridging the divide in our community and refocusing on what we all have in common - the desire to provide the brightest futures to each of our 64,000 students.
-
Fostering a positive culture and stability for our staff, students, families, and community.
-
Providing competitive pay to our teachers and to all of our staff. Securing additional funding will be a key component for this priority and something I will work tirelessly to do.
-
Creating the best, brightest academic future for our students and taking care of their social emotional well-being. This includes focusing on the needs of all of our students and understanding that early literacy is key.
-
Ensuring that every one of our students graduates high school with a pathway to success — not just for a job, but for a career. Whether that's going to college, entering the military, or directly entering the workforce via the trades, high-tech, etc. via our Career and Technical Education and concurrent enrollment offerings.
I am very proud of this school district, and I am humbled and honored to serve all of you as Superintendent. I know that parents, building leaders, and teachers are all dedicated to ensuring our students have an incredible educational experience. I am confident that by working together we will ensure that our school district continues to be a model of high achievement and excellence in this state and the country.
Thank you in advance for your partnership and your support. I truly look forward to, once again, partnering with our families, staff and community members to ensure a bright future for all of our children.
Sincerely,
Erin Kane
Superintendent
Douglas County School District