AURORA | Cherry Creek Schools District Superintendent Mary Chesley announced this week that she will leave her post at the end of the 2012-13 school year.
Chesley, who replaced Monte Moses as superintendent in 2009, announced her decision to retire during the Cherry Creek Board of Education meeting Dec. 10. Chesley said she had agreed on a four-year tenure when she first accepted the job.
“This timeline is what the board and I agreed to in January 2009,” Chesley said at the board meeting. “At that time, I was committed to moving, to the best of my ability, the district’s mission forward while also making decisions and recommendations to fund our mission.”
Chesley acknowledged the contributions of staff, administrators and students during her time as superintendent, four years that have seen steady growth in state assessment scores and consistently high ratings from the Colorado Department of Education.
Board President Jennifer Churchfield said the board would begin interviewing Assistant Superintendent Harry Bull as a possible replacement to start at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year. Bull, who is the acting assistant superintendent of human resources, has also worked as a teacher, principal and a high school executive director in the district.
“I have personally observed Dr. Bull’s performance in various roles for the past seven years since my election to the board in 2005. Dr. Bull consistently puts the student first and I look forward to interviewing him for the position of superintendent,” Churchfield said.
The board has not finalized a timeframe for choosing Chesley’s replacement.
Chesley’s announcement caps a period of transition in public schools across Aurora. Last month, Aurora Public Schools Superintendent John Barry made a similar move, announcing that he would leave his position in July. What’s more, longtime Cherry Creek Assistant Superintendent Elliot Asp has said he’ll leave the district at the end of the school year to take a position at the Colorado Department of Education.