Nearly two years after she took the helm of Denver Public Schools, Superintendent Susana Cordova announced Friday that she will step down and take a job in the Dallas public school system.

At a press conference Friday, Cordova called her more than 30 years with the district “an incredibly important and meaningful part of my life.” She will become a deputy superintendent in Dallas. DPS has yet to finalize a final day for her.

Before being promoted to superintendent in December 2018, Cordova was a deputy superintendent in the district. A DPS graduate, Cordova was a “bilingual secondary teacher,” as well as a principal and an administrator. 

She told reporters Friday that she had not been looking for a new job, but that when the Dallas opportunity presented itself, she “owed it to myself” to pursue it.

The president of DPS’s board, Carrie Olson, praised Cordova as a “leader and a trailblazer,” the district’s first Latina superintendent and the second woman of color to lead the district. 

Board vice president Jennifer Bacon said the district would appoint an interim superintendent later, and she indicated that the search for Cordova’s replacement will involve input from various community and district stakeholders.

Bacon said that “at our swiftest,” the district hoped to hire a superintendent to “support” the district in the coming school year. She said the board still needed to meet to define the process and determine what type of candidate they would pursue.

Bacon said the district had not yet identified an interim candidate.

In a statement, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association thanked Cordova and “wish(ed) her well in her journey.”