Woodland Park School District superintendent to take on transitional role; school board begins search for replacement
Starting Aug. 1, Woodland Park School District RE-2 Superintendent Mathew Neal will take on a transitional role as the board of education begins the process of searching for a new superintendent.
This decision was formalized at a special board meeting held June 27.
In a news release, dated on that same day, Board President David Rusterholtz stated: “All parties agree that Dr. Neal was well suited for the task of engineering and administering the efforts necessary to respond to multiple challenges.”
Rusterholtz listed COVID-19, the election of a new school board, the chartering of Merit Academy, and multiple new projects and initiatives, adding, “The board hereby recognizes Dr. Neal’s extraordinary work in these matters. Dr. Neal exhibited professionalism, energy, and grace in responding to the various complex matters which were presented in the course of the ’21-’22 fiscal year.”
Board Secretary Chris Austin expressed his gratitude, saying, “I have learned quite a bit from Dr. Neal as a professional and how to navigate complex situations. I will miss him, and I wish him the very best.”
Director Suzanne Patterson told Neal, “Thank you for stepping in without hesitation and helping this board charter Merit Academy, and for granting WPSD staff the largest increase in pay in the history of the district.”
Director David Illingworth said, “… I appreciate the incredible work Dr. Neal achieved in just a short year. He leaves a legacy he will always look back on, and though he will no longer be at the helm, his work was meaningful and made a difference.”
In turn, Neal said, “I am incredibly grateful to the community of Woodland Park for their support and the grace extended to me this past year as we grew through great opportunities together. … I am here to help and support the board and leadership team through this process; thank you for this opportunity to serve the staff, students, and community of WPSD.”
“All leaders look to staff and the school board to build a system of connections,” Neal said a few days later. “You must know when you have accomplished what you can, and you must know when it’s time to train the next leader. I feel like I did what I could.”
The board and staff will use the next few weeks to plan the hiring process. “We’re just in early days,” Neal said.
Neal said he plans to stay in Woodland Park at least until his children finish the next school year. “I’ll be working on my own professional practices and consulting for other districts,” he said.
Neal received a new honor in a recent email from the Colorado Commissioner of Education. He is now one of the state’s eight rural education advisers. Among other things, he will work with districts that need help with academic turnaround.
“This is a great opportunity to be a voice representing Woodland Park,” he said.
Neal is a Fort Collins native and has spent 22 years leading five “great school districts,” he said, adding, “My kids have seen 37 countries in seven years while we lived in the Middle East.”
Neal was hired in March 2021 to succeed former WPSD superintendent Steve Woolf, who agreed to a contract termination in November 2020 following an arrest for DUI that August. He began working in the superintendent role in July 2021.
Woodland Park RE-2 School District Superintendent Mathew Neal will begin a transitional role Aug. 1 as the board of education looks to hire his replacement.