Lafayette hires new superintendent from Berkeley

LAFAYETTE – Lafayette School District has named a new superintendent, Brent Stephens, who is making the move from Berkeley starting in July.

“We have great confidence that Dr. Stephens will be a tremendous addition, continuing our district’s long-standing tradition of inspiring superintendent leadership,” Lafayette school board President Rob Sturn said in a statement.

The school board voted to hire Stephens at its Wednesday meeting.

Stephens has been superintendent in Berkeley for the past three years and was previously the chief academic officer for the San Francisco Unified School District.

Berkeley and Lafayette are very different communities. Berkeley has a population of 124,321, while Lafayette has 25,391 residents. Lafayette is also wealthier, with a median income of $188,140, compared with Berkeley’s median income of $91,259.

Berkeley Unified has three preschools, 11 elementary schools and one high school with more than 3,000 students. Lafayette School District has about 3,000 students across five elementary schools.

Stephens began working in education as a Spanish bilingual teacher in Oakland and later was a teacher in Boston supporting immigrant students and families. He received his doctorate from Harvard.

“I’m excited to join the Lafayette community,” Stephens said in a statement. “I honor the values that I see in Lafayette: high expectations, support for each student to grow in a nurturing environment and strong community bonds.”

Stephens will succeed Richard Whitmore, who is leaving the district in June after serving as its superintendent since 2018. Whitmore said he will be taking July off but doesn’t have any plans yet beyond that.