Cloverdale superintendent Decker hired as Windsor schools chief

Jeremy Decker, who has led the Cloverdale Unified School District as superintendent for the past six years, has been hired for the same position in Windsor.

Decker, 40, is set to take over for Brandon Krueger, who announced in January that he would be retiring at the end of the school year. Decker’s first day is July 1.

The board of the Windsor Unified School District approved his contract during a virtual meeting last month, ratifying a three-year deal with a $215,000 annual salary, healthcare and other benefits including vehicle and cellphone stipends. Decker is not receiving any retirement benefits.

“They value people and they value relationships, which is near and dear to my core,” Decker said of the Windsor district.

Decker grew up in Santa Rosa and graduated from Elsie Allen High School. He attended Sonoma State University and earned a masters degree at Northern Arizona University.

His education career began as a high school science teacher in Petaluma before serving as a middle school teacher and eventually an administrator in Gilbert, Arizona, southeast of Phoenix.

Decker returned to Sonoma County seven years ago when he joined the Cloverdale district as assistant superintendent of instruction and assistant principal of Washington School.

As head of the Windsor school district, which serves over 5,100 students in eight schools, Decker will oversee an annual budget of $46 million and about 600 employees.