Stacie Stanley will be the next superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools.
The school board voted unanimously to offer the position to Stanley after four hours of deliberation in which board members expressed praise for all three finalists, including former Minnesota education commissioner Brenda Cassellius and Hopkins Superintendent Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed.
Stanley started her career as an occupational therapist, and had a profound experience when a student asked her whether it was possible to be both brown and smart.
“When she asked me that, I knew that I needed to change my career path, and I became a teacher,” Stanley told the school board during her Wednesday night interview. She described herself as “community-oriented.”
“I’ve had success with engaging in community no matter what community I’m in,” she said.
“I think that St. Paul needs someone connected and compassionate, and that will emerge as the person to move us forward right now in this moment,” said board member Carlo Franco during Thursday’s deliberations. “I believe Dr. Stanley can do that, and will do it with grace, and will do it with urgency.”
Stanley, a self-described “legacy of Rondo” who attended St. Paul Public Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade, has served as Edina Public Schools superintendent since 2021. She has also held school leadership positions in Eden Prairie Schools, Burnsville-Eagan Savage School District 191, and Roseville Area Schools.
Board members said they were impressed by Stanley’s passion, relationship-building skills, and Rondo roots. They noted that her St. Paul ties were evident as she seemed to know staff and families at every school she visited. Several said they saw her as an “inspirational leader.” Carlo Franco described a “true presence of returning home.”
”I think of some of the most impactful teachers I had, and that’s what Dr. Stanley felt like,” Halla Henderson, the board chair, said.
Yusef Carrillo said that while he came in with “preconceived notions” against Edina, he was deeply impressed by Stanley’s leadership approach and track record improving academic outcomes for students of color.
Chauntyll Allen, who has roots in the Rondo neighborhood herself, said she recognized in Stanley a passion for coming home and giving back to her community.
“I know what that passion is like, and we need that in St. Paul again,” she said.
During her school board interview, Stanley pointed to the district’s increased reading scores, particularly among students of color, during her three years as superintendent. She said she had hired more administrators of color, and that Edina had measured an increase in the sense of belonging among Black students during her tenure.
Stanley will take the reins at a challenging time for the district’s finances. After federal COVID aid expired, St. Paul Public Schools made more than $100 million in budget cuts last year. Early district projections show a $45 million shortfall for next year. During her interview, she suggested that property tax increases could help balance the budget.
Several controversies over racial and religious discrimination arose during Stanley’s time at Edina Public Schools, where two-thirds of students are white. In March 2022, a group of white high school students posted a video in which they used mocking Asian accents and gave a Nazi salute.
Then in October 2023, two Somali students were suspended in a pro-Palestine walkout after using the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a slogan many Jews perceive to be antisemitic and as calling for the destruction of Israel. The two suspensions then spurred further student protests at school board meetings, and for a time the school board met virtually to avoid interruptions from protesters. In January, following a complaint from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the U.S. Department of Education opened a civil rights investigation into Edina Public Schools. That investigation is still pending.
In her school board interview, Stanley described the anti-Asian and antisemitic video as a time of great pain for students, and as an opportunity to listen to them. Based on their feedback, the district updated its discipline policy to spell out punishments for students involved in discriminatory incidents.
“We listened to them, and we used their voice, and we updated that policy,” she said. “It’s not just having that person sitting there, just to say we engaged them. It was about using their voice.”
The school board will negotiate a contract with Stanley over winter break and announce her start date in January.
