Academy District 20 Superintendent announces retirement

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Superintendent of the largest school district in Colorado Springs announced his retirement Thursday night at a district School Board meeting.

Superintendent Thomas Gregory has worked in Academy District 20 for 32 years. He announced his retirement Thursday night but will remain in his position until June 30, 2023, the end of the academic school year.

Gregory released the following statement Thursday upon announcing his retirement.

Academy District 20 Community,

It is with both happiness and sadness that I write to inform you I have made the decision to retire at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year.  I am happy to see what lies ahead for me and happy I had an adventurous and fulfilling 32 years in Academy District 20.  I am also sad to leave a place where I have spent nearly 60% of my life and developed respectful and trusting relationships with our parent community.  I believe leadership has a life cycle and I believe my life cycle is ending. In short, it is time for a new leader to take Academy District 20 into the future. 

Academy District 20 is in a great place.  This year, we earned the Accredited with Distinction designation from The Colorado Department of Education for the fourteenth consecutive year, we ended last year with nearly 80% of our third graders reading at or above grade level, we implemented a strategic plan focused on people and learning, and we are poised to meet the needs of future generations of students.  This is a special community that values education and is a great place for students to learn and grow.  The future is bright for Academy District 20.

I am committed to finishing strong and to making the transition to a new leader smooth and successful.  I am making this announcement now to assure the Board of Education has sufficient time to run a full search process to determine the next Superintendent.  You can look forward to receiving updates on the search and hiring process in the coming weeks and months.

These last few years have been challenging for us all and I thank you for your support during my tenure as your Superintendent.  Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Sincerely,

J. Thomas Gregory