New Highly Capable Director
Summary : Dr. Paula Montgomery is the new SPS Highly Capable Director.
Highly Capable Leadership Announcement
Dear SPS families and staff,
I am pleased to announce Dr. Paula Montgomery as the new Seattle Public Schools (SPS) Highly Capable Director. Dr. Montgomery is an accomplished educator and school leader with more than 30 years of experience in education. She has spent the last 12 years as the Jane Addams Middle School principal, focusing on equitable access to high-quality education for every student.
Throughout her career, Dr. Montgomery has been the mainstay in reforming and establishing many processes—including Highly Capable services—to ensure student and educator success. Among her many achievements, she created multi-tiered support and acceleration systems for reading, math, and socio-emotional learning at each of the schools she led. At Jane Addams Middle School, Dr. Montgomery was integral in implementing the cluster group learning model for the delivery of Highly Capable services.
She received her doctorate degree in 2024 from the University of Washington’s Leadership for Learning, Educational Policy, and Leadership Program (L4L) with a focus on Inclusionary Practices and twice exceptional students.
As the Highly Capable Director, Dr. Montgomery will focus on working with students, families, and staff to increase understanding, transparency, and trust regarding the district’s Highly Capable services. She will continue the mission of the department by managing the overall structure of identification, recruitment, referral, and eligibility processes and the delivery of a range of services for students who show potential for or currently exceed K-12 state standards.
Dr. Montgomery transitions into her new role immediately while also finishing the school year at Jane Addams Middle School. She assumes full-time Highly Capable Director responsibilities on July 1.
Join me in welcoming Dr. Montgomery!
Sincerely,
Dr. Rocky Torres-Morales
Associate Superintendent
Seattle Public Schools
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