Michelle Stewart will leave Scotts Valley July 1 after 26 years to become superintendent of the Happy Valley School District, succeeding Michelle McKinny.
Michelle Stewart
School board president Kyle Frandle described her “tremendous work ethic and a student-centered leadership style” in announcing the choice.
Stewart, who was selected from a nationwide pool of applicants, said she is excited to join the Happy Valley School District, a small district with an award-winning school enrolling 120 students in kindergarten through sixth grade and a tradition of parent, teacher and community involvement.
She is the assistant superintendent of educational services at Scotts Valley Unified School District. She joined the district office in 2014 as director of curriculum, instruction and assessment. She started in Scotts Valley as a teacher at Vine Hill Elementary School for 15 years, becoming Vine Hill principal in 2009.
Stewart is a longtime resident of Scotts Valley and attended high school at Soquel High School, where her husband, Jim, has been a music educator for more than 20 years. She has two daughters and a grandson who live in the area.