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Waupaca seeks a superintendent

Three finalists share views at forum

By Robert Cloud


Three finalists for Waupaca School District administrator spoke at a public forum Monday, May 6, at the Waupaca High School auditorium.

They introduced themselves, then answered questions from the audience.

Dennis Kaczor

Kaczor
Dennis Kaczor is currently the superintendent for the Herman-Neosho-Rubicon School District in Dodge County. The district has 383 students attending a pre-K through eighth-grade program.

Kaczor said he attended the University of Florida in Tampa on a ROTC scholarship and served 10 years in the National Guard until 2003.

He obtained his bachelor’s degree in business management, then returned to school to obtain his master’s degree in business education and then certification as a school superintendent from Marian University.

Kaczor’s prior work experience includes being a principal at Adams-Friendship Middle School, principal and athletic director at Hilbert High School, associate principal at Mosinee High School, a business education teacher and coach at Mosinee High School and a business education teacher at Prairie du Chien High School.

If he is chosen as Waupaca’s district administrator, Kaczor said he is committed to moving with his family to the Waupaca area.

His wife currently teaches physical education in the Mosinee School District.

Kaczor said he measures student achievement not just by test scores but by how prepared students are for the next stage in their lives, whether that is joining the military, furthering their education or going directly into the workforce.

Extracurricular and co-curricular activities are an essential part of education, according to Kaczor.

“A kid that’s involved is more connected with the district and tends to do better,” he said.

When asked about fine arts, Kaczor said as a coach he did not appreciate the arts as much as he does now as a superintendent.

Ron Saari

Saari
Ron Saari is the superintendant of the Potosi School District in Grant County. The district has 455 students in a K-12 program.

He has a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in educational administration from Northern Michigan University and started teaching in Marquette.

Saari said he has 10 years of experience as a principal and 12 years experience as a district administrator.

Prior to Potosi, he has been superintendent at the school districts of Crivitz and Black River Falls.

Saari said he plans to move to the Waupaca School District if hired.

“I believe you need to live where you work,” Saari said.

Saari said he is a supporter of fine arts as a part of education.

His own children have participated in school musicals and band.

Saari said he played a role in the creation of a Fine Arts Club that raised $300,000 in two years to finish the interior of the auditorium.

Extracurricular activities encourage skills – such as leadership, teamwork and discipline – that are difficult to teach in the classroom.

He described his leadership style as collaborative.

“Stronger decisions are made when you get a group of stakeholders together and work collaboratively,” Saari said.

Saari also noted he was concerned about the amount of turnover that had taken place in Waupaca and suggested the district look at strategies to retain quality staff.

To help retain staff in Potosi, Saari worked to pass a $445,000 operational referendum this year.

He said Potosi’s staff turnover rate annually has been 18.2%, while the state average is around 6%.

In 2015, Potosi passed a $2.3 million referendum for upgrading its buildings.

Saari noted the facility referendum passed with 84% of the vote, while the operation passed by 54%.

Tim Kief

Kief
Tim Kief is a high school principal for the Chequamegon School District in Park Falls. The district has 954 students in a K-12 program.

Kief earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a master’s degree in school counseling at UW-Stout and has studied educational leadership and administration at UW-Superior.

He began his career as a school counselor and then became interested in moving to an administrative position.

Kief worked one year as a superintendent with the Mellen School District and one year as superintendent with the Glidden School District.

He has been with the Chequamegon School District since 2009.

Kief said he plans to move to Waupaca and his children will enroll in the Waupaca School District.

“My level of commitment is all-in,” Kief said, describing his decision to move here as “a professional, personal and family decision.”

Kief said he found the most rewarding part of his work to be developing student leaders and staff leaders.

He said his least popular decision was to prohibit students from having cellphones in the classroom.

“My students would say that I’m fair and I’m strict,” Kief said.

Kief said collaboration and communication were important to encourage trust and innovation among staff and in the community.

He said academic performance was an important part of success, but that it did not tell the whole story.

“How connected and engaged are the kids with the schools?” he asked.

When asked about the fine arts, Kief said his son played the lead in the school production of “The Sound of Music.”

He said sports and extracurricular activities are a small part of the budget but an important part of what motivates to students.

One concern Kief has about the Waupaca School District are the gaps between groups of students in their English Language Arts scores.

He noted that while some of the students come into their grade level already on third base, others are not even in right field.

Kief would like to address how to improve the scores of students who are less engaged with their education.

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