'His heart is in Higley': Board selects Loutzenheiser as superintendent
Screen capture from YouTube
David Loutzenheiser addresses the Higley Unified School District Governing Board after his selection as the next superintendent while administrators listen.
David Loutzenheiser made clear last week, speaking at the superintendent finalist forum, that while there are many superintendent jobs out there, he was only interested in the one for Higley Unified School District.
In the end, that focus on and love for Higley may have been decisive in Loutzenheiser getting the job.
“His heart is in Higley,” governing board President Amanda Wade said. “At the end of the day, you have somebody whose genuine driving force is what’s best for Higley.”
The board approved Loutzenheiser as the district’s next superintendent Tuesday in a 3-2 vote, with board members Anna Van Hoek and Sara Jarman dissenting.
Loutzenheiser, the district’s executive director of secondary education and athletics, is set to assume the new role July 1, pending contract negotiations and approval. He replaces Sherry Richards, who is retiring.
After the meeting, Loutzenheiser, whose career has included stops in Gilbert Public Schools and Chandler USD, elaborated on why he only had eyes for Higley.
“I think there’s a feel to Higley,” he said. “It’s really that small town feel within a big city. For me, getting a title is not important, but I felt like I was truly in a position as an internal person where I could help lead and grow our district with people that I know are focused on the right things about supporting our students.”
Immediately after the vote, Loutzenheiser addressed the board and the public, expressing gratitude and commitment to the role.
“It means a tremendous amount to me,” he said. “I'm truly honored and humbled to be in front of you today and in front of our community knowing the task that is placed ahead of me and how seriously that I take this task into moving forward.”
He highlighted Higley’s strengths as a district.
“At Higley, we’re really, really proud of what we do, and I don’t think we shout it from the rooftops enough. We're an A district,” he said, referring to its grade from the state. “We have A-plus schools. We're very, very, very successful.”
“We have some challenges in front of you,” he said. “Absolutely we do. We all know them. Hey, but together we can overcome this. Together, we have the expertise in the room to able to make the right decisions that are going to support our kids because we are all here for the same reason. We want our kids to get the absolute very best, and that's what we're going to do in Higley. And just remember, together we got this.”
Despite the split vote, Wade voiced confidence that the decision would gain wider support.
“While I recognize that not everybody might be behind that decision, I don’t think it will take long for people to recognize why we made it,” she said.
Acknowledging division within the board, Loutzenheiser emphasized the importance of collaboration.
“I’m a relationship-based leader, and it’s important for me to develop relationships with all members of the governing board because I want to know where they’re coming from,” he said. “We might not agree on everything, but we truly do want what’s best for our district and we have to continue to move forward.”
We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here