WSD Board Names New Superintendent
The Weber School District Board of Education has named Gina D. Butters as the new superintendent of Weber School District. Gina will be replacing Dr. Jeff Stephens who is retiring at the end of the school year after serving 11 years as superintendent. In July, Gina will become the 15th superintendent of the district which was established in 1905, and the first woman to serve in this capacity.
Gina is a “home-grown product” of Weber School District, having graduated from Bonneville High School. She went on to attend the University of Utah where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise and Sports Science with a minor in psychology, and Master of Education degree in Educational Studies.
She started her teaching career in Weber School District, where she also coached girls’ basketball. She went on to serve as assistant principal at Roy High and Bonneville High, principal at North Ogden Jr. High School, later becoming the principal at Roy High. In 2016, she was selected to serve as the director over Students Services, and in 2019, she was chosen to be the Executive Director of Secondary Education.
While serving as principal at Roy High, Gina was a team leader in the Roy Cone Project. She has also served on many other community-oriented task forces and committees. During her almost 30-year career, she has received multiple honors including the prestigious Huntsman Excellence in Education Award.
Gina is a focused, optimistic leader centered in the whole-child approach to education. She is a strong communicator, experienced educator, and passionate advocate for all children. Her student-first philosophy truly inspires confidence and trust, and Weber School District will be in wonderful hands moving forward.
The selection of Gina Butters as the district’s new superintendent comes after a nationwide search conducted by the WSD Board of Education. In January, the board sent out a survey to employees and parents asking them to identify the qualities they felt were most important in a superintendent.
Using the results from this survey, the board worked closely with the Utah School Boards Association (USBA) in creating the announcement of position. During the application period, UBSA received ten applications from qualified candidates from around the state and country.
In February, a special Citizens’ Committee was formed to review and evaluate each candidate’s application materials. This 24-member committee was composed of local community members, business leaders, and representatives from within the district. The committee met in mid-February to evaluate the candidates, and the results were presented to the Board of Education for consideration in determining the top candidates to interview for the position.
On February 17, the board conducted interviews with four highly qualified candidates from within the district and out-of-state. Gina Butters was chosen as the top candidate to replace Dr. Stephens and to lead the district. The decision was formally announced by the board of education during their board meeting on March 2, 2022.
Weber School District comprises 45 schools which serve over 33,000 students throughout Weber County. It is the 8th largest school district in the state of Utah.
Two other administrative appointments were also made during the meeting. Dave Hales was promoted from Elementary Supervisor to Executive Director of Elementary Education. Mary Jo Williams, who has been serving as the principal of Orchard Springs Elementary, has been selected to serve as the Elementary Supervisor.
