On just his fifth day as superintendent, Justin Ralston cracked a joke about still learning his way around the district office.
But when it came to his vision for how to best serve the 2,500 students of Weld Re-8, Ralston was ready to get down to business.
His approach is both personal and bold: meet every student and family where they are, listen first and lead with love.
Ralston, a first-generation college graduate from a four-stoplight town in Indiana, brings a deep sense of empathy and global perspective to the role. His path to Weld RE-8 includes years as a teacher and principal in Washington, D.C., and most notably, a formative period spent in East Africa, where he worked in refugee camps and taught children displaced by war.
“I still remember one boy who had been featured on the cover of a magazine carrying an AK-47,” Ralston said. “We sat together and I helped him write a capital A for the first time. Despite everything he’d seen, he just wanted to learn. That’s stuck with me, that every child, no matter their story, deserves a shot.”
A district in transition
Ralston’s arrival comes at a pivotal moment for the district. Weld RE-8, which serves the Fort Lupton area and surrounding rural communities, has faced two consecutive failures at the ballot box: a $70 million bond and a $4 million mill levy override, both rejected by voters in 2023.
The district is also bracing for the potential loss of federal education funds that support professional development, migrant students and after-school programs.
Against this backdrop, Ralston isn’t promising quick fixes. Instead, he’s inviting the community into the process.
He’s launched a 16-stop listening tour with informal meetups at places like Santiago’s and Holy Stromboli, along with a digital tool on the district’s website called “Ask Superintendent Ralston,” where anyone can submit questions directly.
“I’m not coming in with an agenda,” he said. “My job is to listen, to understand where we’re doing well and where we’re falling short, and then to co-create a plan together.”
In the meantime, he’s making himself available to every corner of the community.
Ralston is committed to holding one-on-one meetings with any staff member who asks by the end of October. He’s also launching student superintendent cabinets at every school, a practice he started in his previous district, where middle and high school students set the agenda and helped shape policy.
“If students are asking for something, we better listen and then show them their voice leads to real change,” he said.
Equity through a social work lens
Ralston’s grounding in social work, a field in which he holds a master’s degree from Howard University, shapes how he views equity.
He spoke about the importance of noticing who is left out of a policy or classroom and working backward to include them.
“The first thing I’m going to do is look for who’s left out, who’s disengaged, who might be struggling with language access or something else, and then try to understand the why without placing blame,” he said. “There’s always a reason, and we have to figure that out in order to do better.”
As a former special education teacher, Ralston said he’s also especially attuned to marginalized students.
That’s a pressing concern in Fort Lupton, where roughly 70% of students identify as Hispanic and many come from migrant or bilingual households.
Weld RE-8 has reaffirmed its policy to deny ICE access to schools without a court order, a stance Ralston said he fully supports.
“I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t believe this community was ready to support every student,” he said. “My job is to make sure kids are safe and learning. Period.”
First steps and tough questions
In his first week, he has already walked through facilities, met with new hires and begun responding to community questions. But he acknowledges the challenges ahead.
The district’s largest high school, Fort Lupton High, requires significant repairs, including roofs, HVAC systems and an updated kitchen, but lacks a clear funding source.
Ralston praised the custodial and maintenance teams for keeping the schools among the cleanest and best-maintained he has seen, despite the challenges. While he said he’s not aware of any immediate safety hazards, he emphasized that safety is the district’s top priority.
As part of his entry plan, Ralston is working with staff to review district protocols, align with Colorado law and strengthen coordination with local police.
“We’re making sure systems and structures are in place from day one,” he said.
Two of the five principals are new. So is the COO and the Director of Exceptional Student Services, which includes special education.
And the board made the difficult decision this spring to delay another bond attempt while it rebuilds public trust.
Ralston also acknowledged the importance of immersing himself in the fabric of the community he serves.
“I plan to live in the district, send my kids to these schools, and be fully accountable. I don’t take that responsibility lightly.”
Looking forward: A community-centered vision
Ultimately, Ralston hopes to shift the narrative around public education in Weld RE-8 not just by boosting test scores, but by rebuilding relationships.
“Success isn’t only what we measure in proficiency rates,” he said. “It’s what people say at the diner or in the bleachers. Do they feel the district is part of them? Do they feel heard?”
Asked what he wants people to say a year from now, Ralston didn’t hesitate.
“That our kids were loved. That they were challenged. And that they were prepared. Love comes first for me, that’s where everything starts.”