LEWES, Del. — After more than 15 years of service within the Cape Henlopen School District, Dr. Jenny Nauman has stepped into her newest role — superintendent. She says she hopes to bring a focus on transparency, community engagement and long-term planning for one of Delaware’s top-performing districts.
Nauman’s career has been deeply rooted in Cape Henlopen schools. She began as assistant principal at Rehoboth Elementary, later became principal at Shields Elementary, and most recently served as the district’s assistant superintendent before assuming her current position earlier this year.
“The community transparency is really important to me,” Nauman said, emphasizing her goal of strengthening trust between the district and the people who live there. "We have a new community coming from different places and I want them to be part of our schools."
At the top of Nauman’s priorities is addressing overcrowding at Cape Henlopen High School, where expansion has become a pressing need. However, securing funding through a Certificate of Necessity from the state may not happen immediately. “They are saying right now there is no money in the queue for capital projects for the school year ’26 or ’27,” Nauman explained.
Despite Delaware ranking 45th nationally in educational outcomes, Cape Henlopen continues to perform among the state’s best. A report by Education Week shows Delaware is one of 24 states, along with the District of Columbia, that require all students to take SAT and similar assessment tests — a factor Nauman believes makes national rankings misleading. “Sometimes it’s comparing apples to oranges,” she said. “In other states, only the kids who wanted to go to college took the test.”
Dr. Jenny Nauman has two daughters who graduated from the Cape Henlopen School District.
For Nauman, education is personal. Both of her daughters are Cape graduates, including one with special needs — an experience that gives her unique empathy for families navigating the system. “I have sat in an IEP many, many times,” she said. “The feelings of joy, nervousness, excitement, or upset when my kiddo is not progressing as they should, I get it.”
Nauman was achieved state-wide recognition for work at Cape. In 2016, she was named National Distinguished Principal for Delaware and in 2022 Delaware Assistant Superintendent of the Year.