New Superintendent Shakes Up District Leadership

Leadership ranks in the Menomonee Falls School District will be shaken up for the 2011-12 school year, as Patricia Herdrich begins to make her mark as new superintendent.

Although one administrative position is gained at the top level, long-term cost savings realized through changes in health plan benefits are expected to offset the cost of the additional position, Herdich told the School Board Monday.

“In order to gain the capacity for the health care switch, we are doing some shifting," Herdrich said. "But we are anticipating, in the long run, the cost savings on health will offset an individual costs in the employees.”

To prepare for the changes in the district’s health plan, Patti Keller, former human resources director, will become the district’s new director of alternative programming, which focuses on at-risk children.

This change opens the door for the district to bring in a new human services director who ideally would hold a master's in business administration to manage  new state laws and changes to the district’s health care model, Herdrich said. The stakes are high for the person in this position to keep health costs low, and free up savings in the district. Interviews for this position will occur on July 5.

“We are really using the changes to build the capacity to keep efficient operations for us,” Herdrich said. “We want to keep costs controlled so that when we head into future year reductions, we can stave their impact on students, teachers, and programming.”

Jeff Nennig will replace Mary Schooonover as the district’s technology and assessment director. Mary Dohmeier will replace Kathy Myles as the director of teaching and learning. Myles has accepted a position with the Fox Point-Bayside School District.

Dr. Mae Beard, a part-time assistant principal at Menomonee Falls High School, will be a full-time assistant principal, filling the vacancy left by Michael Harris. Lastly, Scott Marty (no relation to Dr. Keith Marty) will become the assistant principal at North Middle School.

Herdrich said these administrators, in their new roles, together will work hand in hand to maintain services for students in a cost-effective way as budgets continue to shrink.

Herdrich said it’s important to lock in leaders with firsthand knowledge of district operations, to run the district on a lean budget. She said it is better to lock in and retain leaders for the long term, rather than pay higher costs of training new employees.

The School Board approved the reassignments Monday, although Nennig's new role as technology and assessement director was approved at an earlier meeting.