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Profile: PAUL A. SWEAT

When Paul Sweat interviewed for the position of Wasatch County superintendent six years ago, he brought along a gold trophy with two curved handles and plopped it down in front of the five school board members doing the hiring.

That audacious entrance carried a thoughtful purpose. 鈥淚 told them, 鈥業f you choose me, this trophy is a symbol of Wasatch being the very best of the best. I鈥檓 not talking about athletics anymore. I鈥檓 talking about academics 鈥� This trophy symbolizes us being the very best we can be. We can be No. 1,鈥欌�� he recalls, now six years after the board picked him to run what at the time was a district serving 6,605 students.

The trophy is a relic from Sweat鈥檚 past in the district, recognition from the Deseret News as the school district in the Salt Lake City region with the year鈥檚 best-performing athletics.

Sweat鈥檚 eyes light up when he talks about this trophy, his time as a student in Wasatch and a member of the high school wrestling team, which won the state title his sophomore and junior years. A lifelong Wasatch resident, he has worked over 33 years as a math teacher, athletic director and principal in various Wasatch schools.

The district鈥檚 impressive athletics record was not usually matched by its academic standing, so Sweat鈥檚 competitive spirit was put into play. Sweat has seen his district鈥檚 literacy, math and science scores rise by almost 30 percentage points in some cases since his superintendency began.

Tom Hansen, a school board member during most of Sweat鈥檚 superintendency, believes Sweat鈥檚 lifelong experiences in Wasatch inform his belief system and leadership style.

鈥淗e appreciates the past,鈥� Hansen says. 鈥淏ut he also understands the importance of staying ahead of the trends and being relevant in what matters most to students and educators.鈥�

Seven years ago, the district ranked academically in the middle of Utah鈥檚 41 public school districts. Under Sweat鈥檚 leadership, the district last year ranked 1st for language arts, 3rd in math and 7th in science last year.

鈥淚 said, 鈥榃e鈥檝e got to learn the lessons from the culture of the wrestling team. When I step on the mat, I expect to win. We need to pull that into biology. And take that culture and winning attitude 鈥� in math and chemistry and 3rd-grade reading,鈥欌�� Sweat says.

The district鈥檚 achievement, he says, results from teamwork. Everything in Wasatch is done through professional learning communities 鈥� the principals have a group, district administrators have a group and each school is considered a PLC. Teachers are assigned to teams through which they can work together.

Sweat also invests in ongoing professional development and training for staff, plus out-of-town retreats for administrative staff in the summer during which they revisit their goals and reestablish aspirations for the year ahead. In 2024, the team visited Washington, D.C., meeting with elected officials from Utah. Earlier trips studied high-performing schools and districts.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something that鈥檚 been really powerful for us,鈥� Sweat says. 鈥淲e revisit how we did and how we want to do next year.鈥�

Owing to its 28 percent enrollment growth since he took office, Wasatch is applying that work now to the building of a new high school opening in fall 2026 that will share space with a technical college offering certificates in more than 30 trades.

Sweat embraces the heavy lifting behind the work of the schools where he, his father and grandfather competed in school sports and where his own children attended school.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any secrets,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 so proud of what we鈥檙e doing, and I think our district is awesome.鈥�

Jacqueline Hyman is assistant editor of School Administrator magazine.