Three finalists present vision for Higley district superintendent role 

By Tom Blodgett
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Three finalists for the superintendent position of Higley Unified School District presented their vision and priorities during a public forum attended by board members, staff, students and community members.  

The finalists — Erika Copeland, associate superintendent of Queen Creek Unified School District; David Loutzenheiser, HUSD’s executive director for secondary education and athletics; and Randy Mahlerwein, assistant superintendent of secondary schools for Mesa Public Schools — each shared their background, leadership philosophy and plans for the district if selected. 

The governing board is expected to make its decision at its March 4 meeting. 

Erika Copeland: Innovation, safety and community engagement 

Copeland, who has spent 27 years in public education, emphasized her commitment to student success, innovative learning environments, and community partnerships. 

“Student success is something that I have dedicated my entire adult life to,” she said. “I feel passionate about preparing students, helping them to reach their highest potential.”  

She highlighted her experience in opening new schools and designing career-path-focused academies.  

“Something that I'm really proud of is leading the planning and programming for two brand new high schools within my district,” Copeland said. “Our students are able to graduate from high school with industry certificates and preparation for their next step in their career.”  

Regarding safety, she stressed the importance of both physical security measures and partnerships with law enforcement.  

“We meet monthly with Mesa PD and Queen Creek PD to talk about concerns within our schools, within our community and really problem solve and partner together to make sure that our schools are safe,” she said, citing initiatives such as safety glass, single-entry points, and a safety education video for students. 

Copeland also focused on the value of transparency and community involvement.  

“This is the heart of who I am,” she said. “My strength is building trust through positive communication, through being transparent.”  

She proposed increasing engagement through business partner breakfasts, community meetings and parental involvement initiatives. 

David Loutzenheiser: Continuity, relationships and student growth 

Loutzenheiser, a longtime educator and current HUSD administrator, underscored his deep connection to the district and commitment to its continued progress.  

“This is the only superintendent position I've applied for,” he said. “There's a lot of superintendent openings across the Valley. This is it. I don't want to go anywhere else. I want to be in Higley.”  

He emphasized the importance of relationships in education, calling it a “relationship-based business.”  

“The most important relationship is the one between the teacher and the student,” Loutzenheiser said. “My job as a leader is to provide all the opportunities I can for the teacher and set up systems to support the teacher.”  

Addressing student readiness, he highlighted the importance of career preparation.  

“We need to give them a competitive advantage, a personal competitive advantage for them to learn the lifestyle and get prepared for the lifestyle that they want,” he said, noting his work with career academies and technical education. 

Loutzenheiser also stressed the need for strong partnerships with parents and the community.  

“How do we connect?” he said. “We connect through social media platforms (where) we celebrate our successes. We have a public relations and marketing team that’s going to do that where we support our families.”  

He suggested more targeted messaging to parents and leveraging events such as football games and festivals for engagement. 

On school safety, he noted ongoing efforts in collaboration with law enforcement.  

“We now, through the school safety grant, have an SRO (school resource officer) or SSO (school safety officer) on every single one of our high school and secondary campuses,” he said. “They can also go down to support the elementary campuses when needed.”  

He emphasized the importance of technology in campus security. 

Randy Mahlerwein: Leadership, industry partnerships and stability 

Mahlerwein, who previously worked in HUSD as a principal and district administrator before moving to Mesa Public Schools, focused on leadership philosophy, industry connections, and long-term district stability.  

“I believe in everything I do has to be done with respect and dignity,” he said. “How I treat people is a reflection of the school district.” 

He emphasized collaboration and humility in decision-making.  

“I have 27 years of leadership, and I have confidence that I've seen a lot and I've learned a lot and I know a lot,” Mahlerwein said. “But there's a whole bunch of stuff that can come your way that I don't know. And that's why you build a team and you surround yourself with a team.”  

A key component of his vision involved stronger industry connections to support student career pathways.  

“I think one thing that I can really bring to Higley is this idea on how to connect a business, how to connect the industry, how to bring industry partners into our schools to connect with our teachers,” he said, stressing the importance of real-world learning experiences for students. 

Mahlerwein also focused on safety, emphasizing his experience in managing security measures in a large district.  

“We have weapons detection in all our high schools,” he said. “We have vape sensors in every bathroom. We have AI in our cameras.”  

He added that he would work closely with local law enforcement to adapt safety protocols to Higley’s needs. 

Mahlerwein said he would be in the job for the long haul if chosen. 

“The average superintendent in this country lasts for like 2.6 years, and the district is in kind of disarray every time it changes over,” he said. “If the school board decides that I'm your guy and they decide that I’m going to be humbled with the opportunity, I will not let this community down. I’ve never let any community down. I’ve never failed, and I won’t fail now.” 

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.     

Tom Blodgett
Senior News Editor | Gilbert

tblodgett@iniusa.org

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).