Central Public Schools reorganizes school administration Moves are result of evaluation pointing to a need to rebalance
Feb. 22, Norwood Young America – According to a third-party operations evaluation, Central Public Schools has a number of areas where it could increase efficiency, the first of which is administrative costs. As a result, Superintendent Tim Schochenmaier announced a reorganization at the Feb. 22 Central Public Schools Board meeting.
“We need to reorganize to improve efficiency, and that has to start at the top,” said Schochenmaier. Michael Daugs, principal at Central Elementary School will be reassigned at the end of the 2020-2021 school year to a one-year term as Director of Teaching and Learning. For the 2021-2022 school year, Ron Erpenbach, the current Middle School Principal/Activities Director will take over as elementary principal, and Tom Erickson, the current High School Principal, will become principal for grades 6-12. With the retirement of Julie Kuenzel, the current Community Education Director, the duties of the Activities Director will be assigned to her replacement in Community Education because they are closely aligned.
“I recognize this news could come as a shock to some of our community,” said Schochenmaier. “It isn’t fun. We have an excellent staff and we want the best for them, but more importantly, we have to do the best for our students. They are why we are here, and we are excited to be moving in a direction that maximizes their opportunity for success in school and in life.”
“Right now,” Schochenmaier said, “the budget is driving education, instead of education driving the budget. Although the referendum assisted in stabilizing our budget, it is also a commitment of the board and administration to always look for more ways to be fiscally responsible. We want to ensure that funds are spent on the highest educational priorities.”
The district turned to Baird, a financial services advisor, which completed the operations evaluation. The evaluation looked at departments within the district and compared expenses to similar sized Minnesota school districts. While just 5% of the budget is spent on administration, Central scored poorly compared to other districts. “The data showed us that we spend a bit more in the areas of district and building level administration compared to our target districts. I want to right size this so those dollars can be used for carrying out our strategic plan,” said Schochenmaier.
Additional reorganization will occur over the next few years. “We want to time these changes to be as considerate and compassionate of our staff as possible,” said Schochenmaier. When contracts for outsourced personnel come up for renewal, they may be adjusted to be more efficient. In addition, the district will offer early retirements and other opportunities within the district.
The effort to operate more efficiently is tied directly to the district’s strategic planning process, Schochenmaier told the board. “A mentor of mine told me to never miss the opportunity that challenges present,” said Schochenmaier. “We started by stabilizing our finances with the operating levy referendum. Now we’re working to address a lack of identity and a stubborn structural financial deficit.”
The strategic planning process, as well as a branding process, will provide the district with clear direction and a clear identity – a way to talk about the district concisely to describe its strengths. Both processes began in December and are incorporating staff and community feedback to ensure authenticity. Strategic planning should be completed by May, while the branding process should be completed by June.
“This is a very exciting time for us,” Schochenmaier said. “During the course of implementation of the strategic plan, we should be able to measure increases in student progress and opportunities. However, first we need to make some hard decisions about our operations so the implementation of the strategic plan is sustainable.”