Superintendent

I am deeply honored to have been chosen to serve as Superintendent of Englewood Schools. I am a passionate leader who believes in the power of a community to successfully work together to accomplish valued goals to continue to build an organization that is focused on students, families, and educators. I am dedicated to Englewood Schools; it is home for me.

As I enthusiastically begin this role, I’d like to share a bit about myself. This will be my ninth year serving Englewood Schools and my 23rd year in education. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Marketing from Marquette University, I worked for a large accounting firm in Milwaukee. Shortly after, I left Milwaukee for the mountains of Colorado and worked in Avon. Realizing that my passion was in education, I returned to school to earn my Masters of Education degree in Curriculum & Instruction with a Concentration in Mathematics from the University of Loyola Chicago. I also earned my credentials to teach in grades K-8. Upon returning to Colorado, I began my career as a 6th grade teacher. I went on to teach 2nd, 4th, and 5th grades. I then moved into building administration where I spent six years as an assistant principal and principal in neighboring districts.

Within Englewood Schools, I have served as the Director of Assessment and Analytics, the Chief Academic Officer, and Deputy Superintendent. I worked to create a unified direction by focusing on student learning and teacher instruction.  It is important to me that we operate as one school system and not individual schools.  Our schools exist to educate every student and as your superintendent, I will continue to focus on that mindset every day. 

Throughout my time in Englewood Schools, my work has been deeply rooted in our core values of high expectations, accountability, integrity, respect, andcommunity. Community – our students, families, teachers, staff, and our surrounding neighbors and friends – is what makes Englewood a special place. This was apparent when we built five new buildings. The community input was imperative to ensuring our schools balanced state-of-the-art learning environments with historical charm that reflects the longstanding traditions and values of our community. I will continue to dedicate my efforts to building strong relationships in our community by carrying on the tradition of engaging in open, honest, transparent, and frequent communication with all stakeholders.

I believe that now, more than ever, is the time to advocate for students. Horace Mann, a 19th Century American Educator said, “Education, beyond all other devices of human origin is the great equalizer…the balance-wheel of the social machinery.” A quality education has the power to open doors for students. Educators can inspire students to believe in themselves and exceed expectations. The strength of our nation is built on the foundation of education and you have my commitment that I will focus on every student, every day. 

I will continue to accelerate Englewood Schools forward by igniting the flame to move from the “comfort zone” to the “learning zone.” I will lead Englewood Schools as we work to ensure students are career and college ready when they graduate. Englewood Schools is widely known as a champion and advocate for excellence in education for all students; together, we can build the New Tradition of Excellence.

As the new Superintendent of Englewood Schools, I will fulfill the promise of building a stronger community and stronger schools in order to create big opportunities in a small setting for our students.

Thank you for placing your trust in me. I am looking forward to serving this incredible community.

Sincerely,
Joanna Polzin 
Superintendent