Pueblo D60 Superintendent Charlotte Macaluso announces plans to retire

Editor's Note: This story was edited on Oct. 26 to reflect the fact that school board member Barb Clementi will not be running for reelection because of term limits.

Pueblo School District 60 Superintendent Charlotte Macaluso announced her plans to retire during an Oct. 24 school board meeting.

Macaluso has been the district's superintendent since 2016. By the time her retirement becomes effective on July 1, 2024, she will have spent 31 years with the district working as a teacher, principal and in multiple administrative positions.

"This announcement comes with a deep sense of gratitude to the district and the Pueblo community for shaping my life and greatly contributing to the person I am today," Macaluso said in her retirement announcement.

Barb Clementi, who has served on the Pueblo D60 board since 2015, told the Chieftain that Macaluso has always been insistent on making decisions with students' best interest in mind.

Clementi also praised Macaluso's leadership in efforts to improve achievement at schools that were once designated '"turnaround schools" by the state, along with the successful construction of five bond-funded school buildings.

"One of Charlotte's greatest strengths is building teams and here she built a terrific team of smart, focused leaders to support kids, teachers and staff in their work," Clementi said.

Macaluso told the Chieftain she is most proud of the "concerted effort" by the district to raise instruction quality during her time as superintendent. She said the district was able to "advance educational equity" by helping the district's high-poverty schools improve their academic performance.

"Through that diligence and that hard work, from the school staff and from my team, in terms of the reform efforts... when that results in outcomes for kids — certainly that's the greatest achievement," Macaluso said.

Macaluso herself is a product of Pueblo D60. The East High School graduate served as principal of her former elementary school, Spann Elementary School, and her former middle school, Risley Middle School.

Macaluso also has served as a teacher at Bradford Elementary School, the district's executive director of elementary education, an executive director of federal programs and executive director of innovation and continuous improvement.

What's next for Pueblo D60?

Following the Nov. 7 election, Pueblo D60's school board will have at least one new member. The new board will initiate the search for the next superintendent.

Clementi, who will not be running for reelection due to term limits, said it will be important for the next Pueblo D60 board to cooperate with each other and remain united in carrying out the "difficult" task of attracting and keeping a great superintendent.

With eight months remaining as superintendent, Macaluso said the district's priorities — student engagement and achievement — will be the same as they always have been. She also said the district will continue to address ongoing challenges with aging facilities and pandemic learning loss.

While the job of a superintendent may be difficult, it also is rewarding, Macaluso said.

"My advice to the next superintendent is to always make decisions based on what's best for kids," Macaluso said. "It's not about special interests, the only special interests we have are outcomes for kids. You can never go wrong if you stick with your core values and what's best for kids."

More education news: Hitting the books: Sangre de Cristo arts center offers free membership to Pueblo D60 families

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo D60 Superintendent Charlotte Macaluso announces retirement