In a press release sent Monday afternoon, Superintendent Susan Enfield announced her resignation from the Washoe County School District (WCSD). Enfield started as WCSD’s leader on July 6 of last year.
Enfield said she will return to Washington to spend more time with her family and pursue other opportunities.
“I have always preached health and family first, and now as a leader I am modeling that. I remain tremendously grateful to president Smith and the WCSD Board of Trustees for their support.”
In an interview with KUNR, Enfield said she loved being a part of the district and hoped she helped improve the system. She added that she had been thinking of resigning “for a while” but did not say exactly how long.
Under Enfield’s leadership, the Washoe County School District said it “adopted a bold, three-year strategic plan that puts the academic success and social-emotional well-being of students first; reached a historic increase in their staff compensation; and improved working conditions, including day one benefits, that significantly reduced their staff vacancy rates”.
She told KUNR that she has nothing lined up post-WCSD and wants to focus on getting district staff the clarity and support they need to carry out the district’s new strategic plan.
“With a mix of emotions, we accept the resignation of our valued superintendent and support her in choosing family first,” said board president Beth Smith. “We are grateful to Dr. Enfield for the leadership and bold vision she brought to our district. We have already discussed our collaborative commitment to a smooth transition.”
The Washoe County School District Board of Trustees will discuss at a future meeting the next steps, which could include selecting and hiring a firm for a national superintendent search and appointing a possible interim superintendent if needed. It will be the district’s sixth superintendent search in the last 13 years. Smith said the cost of the search could be tens of thousands of dollars.
Enfield said she hopes the next superintendent will rally around the strategic plan and continue to work on those goals.
Enfield’s last day with the district will be Feb. 9, 2024.
This story was updated at 5:09 p.m. with audio.
This story was updated at 4:38 p.m. with additional details about Enfield’s resignation and the next superintendent search.
Jose Davila IV is a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project.
