4 minute read
Edmond Life and Leisure - August 14, 2025
Introducing Dr. Josh Delich Superintendent of Edmond Public Schools
By Rachel Jamieson
The upcoming school year is fast approaching, which means new teachers, new backpacks, new school and a new superintendent. Dr. Josh Delich has joined the Edmond community and is the new superintendent of Edmond Public Schools. When asked why he wanted to get involved in education, he said it was a calling.
“I firmly believe education is a calling that people can have an opportunity to make,” he said. “For me, every single day you have an opportunity to change and impact somebody else’s life whether that’s a student or a staff member, whether it’s a family or community, and to me, I think that’s just an amazing opportunity to have a calling, but it’s a career, but to me, it’s more than a career.“
He said that one word, “calling” has resonated with him throughout his entire journey of life.
“I think when you lose that calling, you lose your way, and I think when you lose your way you lost your purpose and self for me and many others, you know, the calling of education is just how much you can change and impact lives,” he added.
Delich was born in Bogotá, Columbia, where he was adopted at a young age and raised in Minnesota. With 21 years of education experience, his education journey began at Concordia University in Austin, Texas, where he received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice sociology and a minor in psychology.
After that he went further down south, where he attended the University of Texas Arlington receiving his master’s degree in educational leadership and policy studies. He said he had the continued to desire to learn and grow, so he received his PhD from the University of North Texas in educational leadership and a minor in organizational management.
He started his teaching career at a Fort Worth Independent School in Fort Worth, Texas, as a
classroom teacher and middle school coaching. He taught life science, earth science, physical science, Texas history, U.S. history and world geography.
“That was my first year year one,” Delich said.
“... You learn a system, you learn a process and then you just grow from there,”
Within his second year of teaching he looked for opportunities to begin some degree of leadership, where he got into working in administration and support, and being a coach of teachers as a lead content teacher. He added that he was coaching and supporting teachers at the same time. Meanwhile, he had gone back to school to work on his administrative licensure.
“Then I worked my way up through assistant principal, middle school and high schools, and then up into central office positions to where I am today.”
Through all that training, he said, his mindset was, “how do you continue to get better every single day?”
“I believe firmly about how do you develop genuine relationships, and connect with people, not just as what they do for their role, but who are they actually, as a person?” he added. “... I have found that has been really helpful to moving achievement results, and even the culture and the climate.”
He taught and worked in Texas for 16 years then went back to Minnesota for six years. He accepted a job as an assistant superintendent in St. Paul Public schools, which is the second largest district in Minnesota. Following that job, he accepted an associate superintendent job in Minnesota’s largest district. After Minnesota, The Delich’s landed in Edmond, and was intrigued by Edmond Public Schools’ values.
“When I look at our core values, you can see in my office, the branding you see in the district, the mission, the vision, the values, you start to think, you know, that really fits where I am,” Delich said. “And then, when you spend more time getting to know people, getting to know the community, you start realizing ‘Goodness, this really, really quite a place.”
He said for anyone going into an organization where you feel their values, mission, strategic plan, etc. that it fits with who you are.“If it doesn’t, that’s probably not the place to be, but when it does… you should seek the opportunity,” he added. Delich added there are so many things that excite him for this upcoming school year from getting to know the community, partnerships, staff, etc. Delich and his wife, Desirae, have three daughters, two of whom will be attending Edmond Public Schools.
