Pueblo D60 superintendent finalists outline their visions for improving the district

Three finalists stated their case for becoming the next Pueblo D60 superintendent during an April 16 event at Central High School.

Finalists Shon Hocker, Barbara Kimzey and Charles McNulty began their first full day in Pueblo D60 with tours of the Risley Academy of Innovation, Bessemer Academy, Columbian Elementary and Central. The three later introduced themselves and fielded community questions at "meet and greet" events at Central.

Members of the Pueblo D60 Board of Education unanimously voted to select the finalists on April 11, following a pair of executive session discussions. Board members will hold interviews with the finalists on April 24 and the new superintendent will be announced at an upcoming board meeting.

Hocker speaks about building trust, success for every student

Finalist Shon Hocker is the current superintendent of Coeur d'Alene School District #271, a district of about 11,000 students located within the Idaho panhandle. He has 17 years of superintendent experience and 29 years of experience in education.

"I am a firm believer that student success should not be driven based upon the neighborhoods or the addresses in which they reside," Hocker said. "You need to have a school system that has all the right supports in every one of your campuses to do that."

Hocker, a lifelong Denver Broncos fan, briefly lived in Alamosa and has relatives currently living in Colorado. He said he would have attended Adams State University to play football if it wasn't for the often frigid winters in Alamosa. He attended Idaho State University instead.

However, the cold winters in Coeur d'Alene, about a 530-mile drive from the Idaho State campus, were cited by Hocker as one reason he's interested in relocating to Pueblo, about 122 miles from Adams State. Following his tour of several schools, Hocker said Pueblo D60 has an "amazing" staff, but not all staff feel like they are supported by the community.

"That's a collaboration, communication challenge that we have got to work on... It's a long process to build that trust," Hocker said. "I can't stand in front of any group and say, 'Hey, trust me, I'm a veteran guy.' You have to earn (trust) — walk that talk."

Hocker also emphasized the importance of community partnerships and ensuring success for each individual student.

"We can't always open a resource or curriculum and say, 'This is what we are going to do,' and expect 1,500 kids to be successful in that pathway," he said. "We have got to find avenues for every kid. It doesn't matter their race, it doesn't matter their religion... it matters about the success of that student."

Kimzey pitches 'student advisory councils' while highlighting skill set

Barbara Kimzey, also a finalist for Pueblo D60 Superintendent, visited the Steel City from Norfolk, Virginia, where she serves as chief schools officer of Norfolk Public Schools. She began her employment with the district after serving as a principal at Portsmouth Public Schools, and an assistant principal at Hampton City Schools.

While working in Portsmouth, Kimzey was hired to lead a school that had been denied accreditation after years of underperforming, had negative perceptions of safety issues, and had a nearly 40% teacher turnover rate. However, the school reached full accreditation after four years under Kimzey's leadership.

Kimzey's interest in Pueblo began following a stop in the city en route to the Great Sand Dunes. She had previously opted not to apply for other superintendent positions but decided to take a deep dive into the data about Pueblo D60 upon seeing the district's superintendent job posting.

"I truly believe I have the right skill set that would really help continue to move (Pueblo D60) forward," she said. "I have seen, just in the data, that District 60 has made gains, but we have a long way to go. I believe I have the skill set to build on strengths and help bring some things to the table to really help propel that movement forward."

As a former high school German teacher, Kimzey emphasized the importance of world language courses as well as career and technical education courses in her responses to community questions. She also spoke about her experience at another district with "student advisory councils" to communicate with the superintendent.

"I have seen it be very powerful as long as the superintendent, and I would be very clear with principals that are providing those names that it needs to be a true cross-section of kids... making sure that is a diverse representation of students," she said.

McNulty speaks of a 'foundational approach' and character in difficult times

Finalist Charles McNulty is the superintendent of Pulaski County Special School District in Little Rock, Arkansas. Born in Ottawa, Canada, he decided he wanted to become a teacher after working with adolescents being treated at the St. Mary's Home for Boys in Beaverton, Oregon.

"I grew strongly attached to a lot of the young men, but I felt they had lacked a connectedness in school," he said. "An adult or another child didn't reach them, so they reached out for something more and got themselves in a tough situation. At that point, I thought I needed to be a teacher."

He has served as superintendent of Pulaski County Special School District since 2018. At the time he applied, the Arkansas school district had spent 36 years in federal court desegregation and was a "fragmented system" that looked "completely different" in different sections of the district, McNulty said.

"I believe you have to have a foundational approach across the district to make it a district — not that it's cookie cutter — but that it can be innovative," he said. "They have solid writing. Our kids need to be able to read by third grade. We have to have algebra and really know algebra and English freshman year."

During the evening meet and greet with community members, McNulty disclosed that he has also applied for a superintendent position in another district. He also said he recently experienced a disconnect with state and local leadership in his role as a superintendent in Pulaski County.

"I want to work with people who care for all kids and if you aren't going to care for all kids, I ain't staying... I'm for all kids and I'm for rigor," McNulty said. "I'm for working together and I'm for making sure we value everybody, even when it's bad. You can tell people's character when it's bad, not when its good."

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Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: How 3 superintendent finalists say they'd seek to improve Pueblo D60