DSUSD selects interim superintendent

The Desert Sands Unified School District Board of Education has selected its interim superintendent in a 5-0 vote held at Tuesday night’s school board meeting.

District officials said Kathleen Felci will fill the position of Gary Rutherford, Ed.D. Rutherford will be stepping down December 31 after nearly four years as superintendent.

The unanimous decision to appoint Felci to the position was made based on her long tenure with the district and her commitment to the continued success of each district student, officials said in a release.

Outgoing Board President Michael Duran said, “Ms. Felci’s experience and her passion for quality education, the well-being of students, and the professionalism of the staff made her the ideal choice.”

In accepting the position, Felci said, “My career as an educator has spanned more than four decades and over 3,000 miles, from New York City to the Coachella Valley. The last 27 years of those years have been spent working at Desert Sands where I’ve been able to contribute at nearly every level of public education. So it is with immense gratitude and humility that I accept the board’s appointment to the position of interim superintendent. In this role, I will help ensure a cohesive transition and function as a bridge to the next superintendent.”

KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 will deliver updates when DSUSD appoints its next superintendent.