Axios Salt Lake City
May 08, 2025
1 big thing: Revolving door of superintendents
Utah has one of the nation's highest turnover rates for school superintendents.
Why it matters: Frequent leadership turnover is often a cause — or symptom — of broader instability in a school district.
- Districts often struggle to adopt and stick to long-term, effective plans if the person in charge keeps changing, education advocates say.
By the numbers: More than 70% of Utah's public school districts had at least one new superintendent between 2019 and 2024, according to national data collected by Superintendent Lab and reviewed by Axios.
- That's the 10th-highest rate in the nation.
Case in point: Salt Lake City School District has had five superintendents since 2019.
- That includes two interim superintendents between three permanent hires.
Catch up quick: The most recent upheaval came after Timothy Gadsen III — the first Black superintendent of a Utah district — was placed on leave in 2022, leading to allegations of discrimination. He later resigned.
- Before that, former superintendent Alexa Cunningham abruptly resigned along with her business administrator in 2020 after a heated closed-door meeting in which a board member said Cunningham was forced out.
Threat level: Politically contentious firings and resignations can be particularly damaging to a district, according to Rachel White, an education policy scholar at the University of Texas in Austin.
- They often involve costly legal settlements and attorneys fees, White noted earlier this year in an interview with the National Education Policy Center.
- A district may struggle to fill the position if potential candidates fear it's a high-drama environment.
- Districts that appear to be embroiled in controversy may also struggle to win community support when bond issues and levies appear on a ballot, she said.
Context: The high attrition rate comes as the Trump administration wants to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and as districts nationwide struggle with teacher shortages and falling test scores.
2. 🦣 Mammoth announcement
Tusks up, hockey fans — Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) announced "Utah Mammoth" as the state's official NHL team name yesterday.
State of play: The announcement comes more than a year after SEG asked local fans to vote on the team's permanent name. More than 850,000 votes were collected over four rounds.
- Voters chose between three finalists: Utah Hockey Club (its temporary name), Utah Mammoth and Utah Outlaws.
What they're saying: "[Utah Mammoth] stands as a symbol of who we are, where we came from, and the unstoppable force we're building together," owners Ryan and Ashley Smith said in a joint statement.
Zoom in: The team's logo features a ready-to-charge mammoth with snow-capped mountain peaks — a reference to the Wasatch Mountain Range. Its tusk is shaped like a "U."
- The team's color palette is "rock black," "salt white" and "mountain blue," representing nights in the mountains, snow and the Bonneville Salt Flats, winter sports recreation and clear skies, per a news release.
What's next: Fans can now purchase first-run merchandise with the new team name and logos at the team store in the Delta Center.
3. Fry Sauce: TRAX red line closing until August
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Axios Salt Lake City
