Adams 14 approves 3-year contract for new superintendent

Students and parents wearing masks and winter coats wait outside a school building on a snowy day.
Adams 14 students heading into school in January. (Hyoung Chang / The Denver Post)

The Adams 14 school board approved a three-year contract for its new superintendent, Karla Loria, on Tuesday night.

The contract states that Loria’s superintendent work will begin July 1, but also allows her to serve as a district consultant before that date.

The district will pay Loria $205,000. Adams 14 will also cover up to $8,000 in moving expenses and cover temporary housing at $2,000 per month for two months. Loria currently works in Nevada as chief academic officer for the Clark County School District. 

Karla Loria (Courtesy of Adams 14 School District)

Javier Abrego, Adams 14’s last superintendent, was pushed out in 2019 and was being paid $169,125 when he left. 

Loria, who has worked in much larger districts than Abrego, will also have annual raises according to a consumer price index for the region, known as the CPI-U. The annual raise will not be granted if Loria receives an unsatisfactory performance evaluation from the board. 

The Adams 14 school district remains under external management by MGT Consulting, as ordered by the state, through September 2023. That management contract outlined plans to slowly step back and allow the district to have increasing authority. 

Loria’s contract specifies that she will work with the management group in leading the district. 

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