ENCINITAS — San Dieguito Union High School District officials confirmed Wednesday the district’s new superintendent will be Anne Staffieri, current superintendent of the Escondido Union High School District.
Staffieri’s selection ends a long and highly-anticipated superintendent search in San Dieguito, pending final approval by the board at their May 17 meeting.
A Torrey Pines High School graduate, Staffieri has spent 30 years in education as a high school biology and Spanish teacher, a principal and in various administrative roles. She has served as the Escondido Union High School District superintendent since 2019 and was superintendent in the Ramona Unified School District the three years prior.
Staffieri said she looks forward to using her experience to foster stability in the district.
“It is an honor to serve the community in which I grew up. I look forward to partnering with the board, staff, students, and families to build upon San Dieguito’s reputation as a district of opportunity and choice. I am confident that we will accomplish great things together,” she said.
According to board members, Staffieri’s character and impressive track record in San Diego County education set her apart from other candidates.
“The board was drawn to her forthright leadership style, depth of experience, and passion for the well-being of the SDUHSD community. Educators throughout the county speak highly of her ethics and ability to successfully lead a school district,” said board president Rimga Viskanta. “She will be able to hit the ground running and lean into the positive relationships she already has in our area, including connections with the superintendents in our feeder districts.”
Along with a doctorate in educational leadership from Brigham Young University, Staffieri holds a master’s of arts in curriculum development from Cal State San Marcos and a bachelor’s of science in biology from Brigham Young.
She was also named the 2021 Superintendent of the Year by the California Continuation Education Association.
If contract negotiations and final board approval go well, Staffieri will take the reins from current interim superintendent Tina Douglas for the start of the 2023-24 school year in August.
“I will continue to serve as interim superintendent until Staffieri begins her assignment. Staffieri and I will work closely together to ensure a seamless transition for all prior to the 2023-24 school year,” Douglas said.
San Dieguito has been without a permanent superintendent since the June 2022 firing of Cheryl James-Ward, who served for less than one year.
Staffieri will see a slight pay boost from Escondido Union, where her 2021 salary was just under $268,000, to San Dieguito, where James-Ward earned $288,000.
Other board members also shared their excitement about working with Staffieri.
“The last few years have been a tumultuous period for our district, but I am confident that we are now on a clear and positive path. Dr. Staffieri is a proven leader with the experience to guide us in a direction of continuing academic excellence, collaboration with parents, transparency, and fiscal responsibility,” said Michael Allman.
“Beyond her strengths as an approachable leader, honest communicator, skilled collaborator and fluent Spanish speaker, I believe it is her heart that uniquely qualifies her to be our next Superintendent. A proud alumna of Torrey Pines High School with family still in our schools, she cares deeply about our students and staff,” said Katrina Young.
