By Cort Monroe, Ed.D.
The Cave Creek Unified School District (CCUSD) wishes you a happy 2021! Exciting and better days lie ahead and I am very optimistic about the future in our school district. In addition, we wish Dr. Debbi Burdick a happy retirement and thank her for all of her efforts over the many years she served in helping to achieve the level of excellence that exists in CCUSD for both students and families. As the former superintendent, she has been a critical part of my own transition in Cave Creek over the past few months. We have made a heartfelt attempt to honor the extraordinary work accomplished by Dr. Burdick during her tenure and wish her the best.
I am thrilled to join the collaborative culture of the Cave Creek Unified School District and have been made to feel very welcome already. The opportunity to work with a great team of educators and professionals who serve our students in CCUSD is exciting. As superintendent, I express my commitment to begin the work by engaging and listening to stakeholders so that we can continue the many great things already going on and collaborate on how we can continue to improve. I look forward to visiting schools to connect with our administrators, teachers, staff, and students, meeting with our parents and community groups, and becoming a member of the CCUSD family. Together, we will continue to Inspire Excellence within Cave Creek and build upon its success moving into the future.
I have more than 20 years in K-12 public education experience serving in a wide variety of roles. I was recently the Assistant Superintendent for the Queen Creek Unified School District, a position I held since 2015. I have also held a variety of school based and administrative roles, including: Director of Student Services in the Higley Unified School District, principal in both the Mesa and Higley School Districts, and assistant principal in the Cartwright School District. I began my career as a teacher at Islands Elementary School in Gilbert as well as at Taylor Elementary School in the Nebo School District in Payson, Utah. I have been a high school coach at Mesquite High School and also worked as a bilingual instructional aide in Huntington Beach, California.
I am also able to contribute to the Arizona higher education experience for future school leaders and educators in the state. Currently I serve as a Graduate School Adjunct Professor for Northern Arizona University and have taught undergraduate and graduate classes for both the University of Phoenix and Chandler-Gilbert Community College. I earned my Doctorate Degree from Northern Arizona University in the area of Educational Leadership in 2014 and also earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Arizona State University and an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University.
I look forward to working with the Cave Creek Governing Board, staff, parents, families and all stakeholders in our commitment to both maintain and grow the success that has been accomplished and build on that by offering a well-rounded, rigorous academic program at all of our elementary schools, middle school and high school – ensuring that our students are successful in the classrooms, laboratories, on our fields and courts, and on our stages.
