“I am truly honored to serve the students and families of Highline and am grateful for the board’s support and confidence in me,” Enfield said. “I cannot wait to welcome staff and students back for what I know will be our best year yet.”

The contract extension was introduced for the first reading during the school board’s meeting on Friday, Aug. 12. The board will vote on Enfield’s contract at its upcoming meeting slated for Wednesday, Sept. 7.

The contract will include a new annual salary of $230,679 for the superintendent.

Highline spokeswoman Catharine Carbone Rogers explained that the amount reflects a 1.8 percent cost of living increase, which she said was approved for all school employees in the last legislative session.

“All Highline employees got this same 1.8 percent cost of living increase this year,” Carbone Rogers said. “Dr. Enfield has not had a salary increase except for cost of living increases since she was first hired in 2012.”

Enfield started as superintendent in Highline July 1, 2012. Her salary upon hire was $220,000. She had no raise until 2015, when she was given a 3 percent cost of living adjustment as well as a one-year extension to her contract.  

She holds doctoral and master’s degrees in education administration, planning and social policy from Harvard University.

She also earned a master’s in education from Stanford University and her bachelor’s in English literature from the University of California, Berkeley.

Enfield began her career as an editorial assistant for a series of publications on higher and adult education for Jossey-Bass, Inc. She then became a high school teacher in California, before starting a position as a school improvement coach at the UC Berkeley Teaching and Learning Alliance.

Enfield then moved to the east coast, where she took a position as special assistant to the superintendent at the School District of Lancaster in Pennsylvania. Her next post was special assistant to the Secretary of Education for the state, before becoming director of the state’s bureau of teaching and learning support.

In 2004, Enfield returned to the west coast for a position as director of the office of teaching and learning for Portland Public Schools. She then became deputy superintendent of Evergreen Public Schools in Vancover, WA.
 
In 2009, Enfield became chief academic officer for Seattle Public Schools. Two years later, she took a post as interim superintendent for the district, before moving to Highline.

Carbone Rogers said that under Enfield’s leadership the district developed a strategic plan, with input from the community.

“A core planning team of 40 community members and staff came together to develop the plan over the course of almost a year,” Carbone Rogers said. “There were multiple community meetings to gather feedback on the plan, which were attended by hundreds of people. There was also a group of teachers, with representatives from every school, who developed the instructional focus portion of the plan.”

Carbone Rogers said that in the years ahead Enfield will face the challenges of meeting the strategic plan’s goals, including having 19 out of 20 students graduate prepared for college and career success.

“A more immediate challenge is passage of the school construction bond in November,” Carbone Rogers said.

She said that Enfield has already made major strides toward her goal.
 
“Under Dr. Enfield’s leadership, the district’s graduation rate rose above 70 percent for the first time since the state changed the way it calculates graduation rates,” Carbone Rogers said.  “Dr. Enfield has been recognized nationally for exemplary communication with families.”

The superintendent recently won the Communications Technology Award for Superintendents from the National School Public Relations Association.

School board president Michael Spear said Enfield’s vision for the district was the key reason why she was hired for the position – and why board members are considering extending her contract.

"Superintendent Enfield was selected because she was an inspired and energetic force,” he said. “She was particularly interested in the challenges that come with an urban district and was committed to working with the board and staff to ensure that graduation is possible for all students in the district. She is leading the work to support changes that makes that possible.” 

For more information, visit www.highlineschools.org