WIDEFIELD, COLO. -- During its regular meeting Thursday night, the Widefield School District 3 Board of Education unanimously approved District 3 Assistant Superintendent Joe Royer as superintendent of Widefield School District 3.

The appointment is effective July 1, 2010. 

Royer will follow Stan Richardson, who will continue as superintendent in his 35th and final year in Widefield School District during the 2009-10 school year. Richardson, 57, will retire in June 2010.

When the 2010-11 school year begins, Royer, 48, will become the 12th superintendent in Widefield School District history.

“As a board, we felt it was important to have Joe Royer in place as our next superintendent right now,” said Martin Kuhn, president of the Widefield School District 3 Board of Education. “When you have someone in-district with the qualifications, talent and passion of a Joe Royer, you want to ensure he is going to continue his career in education right here in Widefield. Over his 25-year career, Joe has proven to be an outstanding educator and leader.”

Royer grew up in a military family, attending many schools before landing in District 3 as an eighth-grade student at Janitell Junior High School. Royer graduated from Widefield High School in 1978. He earned two bachelor’s degrees in 1983 — in social studies and psychology — from Western State College in Gunnison.

In 1984, Royer was hired as a history teacher in District 3 at Watson Junior High School. Since then, he has served as assistant principal at Watson (1991-94) and Widefield High School (1994-96); principal at Widefield High School (1996-2001); executive director of business and finance services (2001-07); and as assistant superintendent since 2007.

In 1991, Royer earned a master’s degree in secondary education from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He received his administrative licensure in educational administration from UCCS in 1992.

Joe and his wife of 24 years, Suzanne, who is also a District 3 employee, have two children: Joey, who serves in the Air Force, and Meghan, who will be a sophomore at UCCS this fall.

Information provided by School District 3.