Holmes has led the district for 15 years, and in 2019 was named superintendent of the year by the Utah School Superintendents Association.
He’ll officially retire in June, he told school board members Feb. 12, after 25 total years in the district and 38 years as an educator.
“Those years in this great district have flown by, and they've been years that I will cherish forever,” Holmes said. “I've had the honor of working with and for some amazing people.”
There wasn’t a dry eye in the room at the Board of Education meeting Feb. 12.
“He makes everyone he meets feel like they're his best friend,” business administrator Marci Sargent said. “Josh and I were golfing in St. George one day, and they saw my NS on my jacket and, ‘Oh, you know Jerre Holmes? We're good friends. We're on the UHSAA together.’ … No matter where we go, everybody knows Jerre, and everyone's his best friend. And it's true, he makes everyone feel special.”
Holmes said the students made him feel special, too.
“I'm without the proper words to express how much I've been touched by the hundreds and hundreds of young people who have given me a reason to excitedly get up every morning and to be a small part of their lives, and for that, I feel blessed,” he said. “I'm thrilled to tell everyone that all of my own kids graduated from North Summit High School.”
Homes is also the high school football coach and said he will continue to coach after he steps down as superintendent at the end of the school year.
The board’s search for a replacement comes at a time of change in the district.
Board members put a $114 million bond on the November 2024 ballot to build a new high school, but it failed.
Instead of unilaterally issuing a potentially more expensive bond, Board President Vern Williams recommended waiting, which would help Holmes’ replacement get their feet under them first.
“We've got to have a new school, and would that be something that we would want to do is run that through again in November, and see how folks feel about it by then, in light of what the money would cost for general bond compared to the alternative,” he said.
Board members agreed to wait on issuing any construction bonds.
