School District's Superintendent Search Is Over

School Board President Kathy Shurilla announced Tuesday that Dr. Patricia Herdrich has been chosen to replace Dr. Keith Marty as the new superintendent of the Menomonee Falls School District. 

Shurilla confirmed the board's choice during a tour of the school district with State Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers.

Herdrich is currently the superintendent of West Bend Joint School District #1. With 7,100 enrolled students, the district is the 20th largest district in Wisconsin. West Bend also ranks as the 5th lowest revenue school district out of 424 in Wisconsin.

Despite low revenues, Newsweek Magazine has recognized the district as being one of the best districts in the country. Herdrich received her doctorate from University of Wisconsin in 1995. She currently serves with the national Educational Development Institute, which works with business leaders who are focused on educational research.

The two other finalists for the job were Conrad Farner, superintendent of the Greenfield School District, and Dr. Charles W. Johns, principal of Rolling Meadows High School in Palatine, Ill.

The School Board will offically introduce and welcome Herdrich to the district during the next board meeting at 7 p.m. May 9.

Marty announced in January that he would be stepping down as Falls superintendent at the end of the year. He has accepted a job at Parkway School District, a 7,500-student district in suburban St. Louis, Mo. He signed a three-year contract with a starting salary of $220,000 per year, according to a press release from Parkway.

The school board sifted through 29 applicants for Marty’s position. Fifteen were superintendents in other districts, three were assistant superintendents, seven were principals, two were business consultants or self-employed, and two were unemployed.

Most of the applicants, 20, were from Wisconsin, with others scattered throughout the Midwest. One applicant was from New Mexico. And of the 29 who applied, 23 applicants were males.