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An aging work force and the pressures that often come with high-ranking public school careers have narrowed the field of superintendents and other key personnel in recent years, officials said.
Many school districts have been forced to post jobs more than once or hire interim staff, they said.
“Districts that used to receive 60 applicants now get four or five,” said Miles Turner, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators.
Still, La Crosse and Holmen schools managed to draw a double-digit number of applications for top district posts this spring.
Holmen had 22 candidates trying to succeed retiring district Administrator Fred Frick, said Cheryl Hancock, Holmen School Board president.
“We didn’t know what to expect,” said Hancock. “We were very lucky.”
The winning candidate was Dale Carlson, now principal at Janesville (Wis.) Parker High School, whose 23 years in education includes teaching in Mauston, La Crosse and Houston, Minn., schools.
“We wanted to find someone whose philosophy matched Holmen’s,” Hancock said. “That was very important to us.”
The La Crosse School District had 19 applicants to replace Kathie Tyser when she retires as associate superintendent of instruction later this year, said Doug Happel, associate superintendent of human resources for the district.
The district last month hired Randy Nelson, graduation standards coordinator and director of curriculum instruction for the Rochester, Minn., school district.
Wisconsin public schools have seen a “significant number” of superintendent openings this year, Turner said.
Some are retiring, while others are relocating or simply leaving the profession.
Statewide, 85 of 426 school districts so far have needed new superintendents in the 2007-08 school year, Turner said. The effects likely will continue to be felt, he added, as some districts are forced to fill vacancies created when administrators are hired elsewhere.
La Crosse is one of the few larger districts in Wisconsin that does not have its top post open, Turner said. He named Racine, Kenosha, Madison, Stevens Point, Waukesha, Green Bay and Eau Claire as among those searching for a new superintendent.
The average Wisconsin superintendent is older than 55, Turner said, and more than 120 are over age 57, so the need for top-level administrators will continue in the coming years. No superintendent in Wisconsin earns more than $200,000 annually, he added.
“It is an unbelievably good seller’s market now,” Turner said. “If someone has been a good superintendent and they have been successful, they can pretty much get a job anywhere because of the shortage of candidates.”
To fill the void, some districts have hired retired superintendents until a full-time replacement can be secured, Turner said. He estimated the state has 30 interim superintendents, some full-time, some part-time and some working for more than one district.
La Crosse “very, very rarely” uses someone in an interim role, Happel said.
While the district drew a healthy number of applicants for Tyser’s position, the shortage of administrators can be seen locally in specialized positions, Happel said. Only six applications came in for the supervisor of Literacy, Assessment and Title I position, which pays $94,000, he said.
In comparison, an elementary teaching position in La Crosse — a job which pays between $31,700 and $50,300, depending on experience and education level — can draw about 235 applications, he said.
“Licensure is key,” Happel said. “We could attract more administrators by lowering our expectations, but that is exactly what we would get. We need to stay focused on our needs.
“Our students deserve the best,” he said. “Our community deserves the best.”
The educational leadership program at Viterbo University has provided the La Crosse School District with a number of administrators, Happel said.
Administrative roles in public education are “challenging” jobs that carry many responsibilities and stress, Happel said.
“(Superintendent) Jerry Kember is responsible for 7,400 kids. I’m responsible for 1,050 employees,” he said. “There is not a lot of margin for error.”
To many, Happel said, those factors can be a turnoff, especially when paired with the long hours, state mandates and dwindling school finances.
Happel recalled a time when he was Logan High School principal and his wife took their then elementary-age daughter to parent-teacher conferences — and the daughter said her teachers and friends probably thought she didn’t have a dad.
“Finding that work-life balance when you’re in administration can be challenging,” he said.
Wisconsin teachers eligible for retirement at 55
Teachers, along with most participants in the Wisconsin Retirement System, are eligible for retirement at age 55, said Matt Stohr, director of legislation, communications and planning for the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds.
Those who choose to retire before 55 forfeit the employer portion and only the employee portion is retained, Stohr said.
Once the employee turns 55, he or she can retire with the full state retirement benefits.
“Everyone has different circumstances when it comes to retirement,” he said. “In regard to WRS and retirement benefits, the longer a participant is in the WRS and the higher the salary, the larger the retirement benefit.”
While taxpayer dollars — in the form of employer contributions — fund a portion of the cost of WRS benefits, investment returns pay more than 80 percent of benefit costs, Stohr said.
“Moreover, because of solid investment experience, contribution rates have stayed very stable and have declined over the past two decades,” he said.
2008 RETIREMENTS
TEACHERS: 20
ADMINISTRATORS: 4
OTHER EMPLOYEES: 8
TEACHERS: 8
ADMINISTRATORS: 0
OTHER EMPLOYEES: 0
TEACHERS: 8
ADMINISTRATORS: 2
OTHERS EMPLOYEES: 2
TEACHERS: 4
ADMINISTRATORS: 0
OTHER EMPLOYEES: 1
TEACHERS: 5
ADMINISTRATORS: 0
OTHER EMPLOYEES: 2
Source: Local school districts
Retiree profiles
Fred Frick
AGE: 62
POSITION: District administrator, Holmen School District
YEARS IN EDUCATION: 41
WHAT YOU’LL MISS: People. I love to work with adults to move every student to their potential. I love to see the fantastic accomplishments students can achieve when given that support and opportunity.
WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Time with family. Time to travel. Time to pursue hobbies. Time to continue to make a difference with people and communities.
WHAT YOU’LL NEVER FORGET: People. The Holmen community has been wonderfully supportive of students. Anytime people were asked to step forward and be part of a solution, numerous people responded positively. I truly was blessed to serve in such a great community.
Bernie Ferry
AGE: 61
POSITION: Holmen (Wis.) High School principal
YEARS IN EDUCATION: 38
WHAT YOU’LL MISS: The day-to-day contact with students. There is an energy and enthusiasm that students have that can only be experienced in the world of education. Students are the most important resource that we have, and if given positive support and encouragement they can reach and exceed their goals.
WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: A slower pace. I will look forward to being able to spend more time with my wife and four boys, who are spread out around the country. I enjoy reading, playing golf, traveling and enjoying the beautiful outdoors of the Coulee Region. I will also try to get more involved in giving back to the Holmen community, which has been so supportive of me and my wife.
WHAT YOU’LL NEVER FORGET: The students and staff. We have a great student body and the most dedicated and committed group of teachers in the state. There is a true feeling of family in the building that helps provide a quality education for our students.
Ronn Kale
AGE: 58
POSITION: Onalaska (Wis.) High School art teacher
YEARS IN EDUCATION: 36
WHAT YOU’LL MISS: The two aspects of my career I will miss the most are working with the students and not being a part of Onalaska High School anymore.
WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: I am looking forward to working in my newly built studio, working on and marketing my more than 20 Mississippi River Rat T-shirt designs, completing various art commissions that I currently have and teaching adults through Western Technical College and Winona State University. I am also looking forward to forming a partnership with rural school districts in seven counties by reinforcing their art programs and teachers by supporting and assisting their potential college-bound art students as a regional portfolio consultant and mentor, a program I hope to initiate this fall. Most of all, I am looking forward to enjoying life.
WHAT YOU’LL NEVER FORGET: There were tragic memories and wonderful memories, good times and bad, awesome teachers I have taught with and awesome students I have worked with, students who have been a challenge, energetic pep assemblies and sports events, times of success and times less than successful, and all the changes that have taken place. As I get older, I hope I will never forget anything about OHS. I will never forget that OHS has been an important part of my life. Sometimes as I walk down the halls or look at my classes, I feel a pang of separation anxiety. At times it is difficult to comprehend that I will no longer be a part of OHS.
Steve Bina
AGE: 57
POSITION: Supervisor of fine arts, summer school and charter schools for the La Crosse School District
YEARS IN EDUCATION: 36
WHAT YOU’LL MISS: All the great people I’ve had the opportunity to work with — students, staff and parents from Logan High School and all the great people I’ve met and worked with in my current role. (Bina was Logan High School band director from 1977 to 2002.)
WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: I look forward to doing some traveling. I definitely want to be more active physically — gardening, fishing, golf. I’m an antique buff of a controlled proportion, but I also want to work with kids again.
WHAT YOU’LL NEVER FORGET: I have many incredible memories from my teaching and music making at Logan, but the most amazing memory for me will be all the support I — and my family — received back in 1980 and 1981 when I was hospitalized and out of work for 17 months with no income. The entire community was so supportive. There was a benefit concert at Logan High School, people sold “Hurry Back Mr. Bina” buttons, there was a benefit auction, North Side taverns and business took up collections and much more. When I was in the hospital, I had tremendous support from my colleagues at Logan, my music colleagues, and my students were frequent visitors while I was in ICU. I can’t begin to tell you how much that meant to me and my family.
Susan Berg
AGE: 58
POSITION: Administrative assistant to La Crosse Superintendent Jerry Kember and La Crosse School Board secretary
YEARS IN EDUCATION: 17 with the La Crosse School District and 14 in the superintendent’s office
WHAT YOU’LL MISS: There is always something new to learn and new goals to achieve that ultimately contribute to the education of the children in our district ... and, of course, I’ll miss the people.
WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Having more time to spend with my family and doing all the things I enjoy that I don’t seem to find the time for now.
WHAT YOU’LL NEVER FORGET: The dedication and commitment of those I’ve worked with to do what’s best for kids.
Kathie Tyser
AGE: 58
POSITION: Associate superintendent of instruction for the La Crosse School District
YEARS IN EDUCATION: 36
WHAT YOU’LL MISS: Working with people — staff, parents, school board members, higher education partners and community members — on new initiatives for kids.
WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO: More balance, more
flexibility, learning new things and contributing in new ways.
WHAT YOU’LL NEVER FORGET: Opening day performances, walking our sons to kindergarten, fun years of being a parent at school events and a full work calendar.
Autumn Grooms can be reached at (608) 791-8424 or agrooms@lacrossetribune.com.
