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UPDATE: Park City School District names interim superintendent

David Gomez, principal of Parley’s Park Elementary School, was recently appointed as the interim superintendent of the Park City School District.
Courtesy of Park City School District

The Park City Board of Education on Tuesday appointed David Gomez as interim superintendent of the Park City School District.

The Board voted unanimously to approve the appointment during its public meeting. Gomez had been the principal of Parley’s Park Elementary School since 2012. He said he has worked in education for 25 years and has served as a principal and assistant principal at other elementary and middle schools in Utah.

He began as interim superintendent on Wednesday.



The Board and outgoing superintendent Ember Conley made the decision to appoint an interim superintendent together, said Andrew Caplan, president of the Board. The Board is currently in the process of hiring a new superintendent.

“It’s been an ongoing discussion with Dr. Conley,” he said. “We came to a mutual agreement.”



Caplan said that when Conley announced in December that she would step down from her role as superintendent, her plan was to remain through the transition of the new superintendent. Last month, she accepted a position as superintendent of Mesa Public Schools in Arizona. The position begins at the end of May.

According to a press release from the district, Conley will be available to assist Gomez, then the new superintendent once one is hired.

Gomez said that he is excited and honored that the Board selected him for the position. He will focus on academics and Todd Hauber, business administrator of the district, will focus on budget and policy issues.

Gomez said in a message to district staff that his goal is “to continue the excellence that Park City School District is known for, while improving upon some areas of need in order to provide for a smooth transition for the next superintendent.”

“We’re building a path that the person can land on, which will just help us succeed even more,” he said.

Gomez plans to return to his position as principal of Parley’s Park Elementary once the new superintendent is hired in a few months’ time.

Caplan said that the Board considered several candidates for the position, but Gomez’s work leading Parley’s Park Elementary stood out.

“He is an excellent building leader,” Caplan said. “And it’s an opportunity for him to step up and participate on a district level.”

Gomez started working in education as an education specialist for at-risk Title I students with the Utah Office of Education. He has a master’s degree in public schools and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.

The release also stated that Tracy Fike will serve as interim principal of Parley’s Park Elementary through the end of the school year. She is the school’s instructional technology coach.

Gomez said that Fike is prepared to serve as principal because she has held several positions around the school. She has served as the technology coach since 2016 and has also been an administrative intern at Parley’s Park, Ecker Hill Middle School and Park City High School. She also worked as a reading intervention teacher at Ecker Hill. She has two master’s degrees in instructional leadership and business administration.

The Board has selected its first round of finalists for the superintendent position and plans on holding interviews on May 5, Caplan said. It is creating a 10-person committee to assist in the interview and selection process. It will consist of five district employees and five community members. Applications to serve on the committee are due on April 23.

A final selection for the superintendent position is scheduled to be made on May 18.

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