Dr. Baracy named superintendent of Scottsdale schools

Dr. John Baracy, superintendent of the Tempe Elementary School District since 1999, has been selected as the new superintendent for the Scottsdale Unified School District pending final agreement on his contract. The Governing Board voted unanimously in support of Baracy as the new superintendent.

Dr. Baracy would begin his new position July 1. He succeeds Dr. Barbara Erwin, who announced in January that she has accepted a position as superintendent of the St. Charles Community Unit School District in suburban Chicago.

Before becoming superintendent of the Tempe Elementary School District in 1999, Dr. Baracy served as superintendent of the Roosevelt School District in Phoenix from 1992 to 1999 and deputy superintendent and interim superintendent of the Phoenix Union High School District. He is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and received his doctorate from Arizona State University, where he current is an adjunct professor in educational leadership.

SUSD, with nearly 27,000 students in 33 schools, is among the leaders in Arizona in academic performance. The district has more schools rated by the state as Excelling – 19 – than any other district in Arizona and every district school rated by the state is rated Performing or better. The district includes portions of the cities of Scottsdale, Phoenix and Tempe and the town of Paradise Valley.

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