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As current Chisago Lakes superintendent Mike McLoughlin looks forward to retirement, the school board members have been in the process of looking for a replacement, and they narrowed that list to eight people at the regular school board meeting Tuesday, Feb. 12. 

There were 31 applicants for the position, 20 men and 11 women. There were applicants from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and New Mexico. Out of the 31 applicants, eight semifinalists were named; Dr. Virginia Dahlstrom, superintendent at Wadena-Deer Creek, Dr. James Ellis, superintends at Minocqua, WI, Wayne Kazmierczak, assistant superintendent at Moorhead, Dr. Steven Massey, principal at Forest Lake, David Pace, superintendent at East Grand Forks, Dr. Ray Queener, assistant superintendent at Stillwater, Joe Thimm, principal at Taylors Falls Elementary and Wayne Wormstadt, superintendent at Windom. The eight semifinalists were interviewed by a panel consisting of the school board, the community, and the school faculty on Wednesday, Feb. 20 and Thursday, Feb. 21. There will be finalists selected from that pool that will move on for interviews on Wednesday, Feb. 27. 

The board made the decision to not introduce all day, every day kindergarten districtwide. After mulling over the decision for three meetings, they decided to go with a hybrid kindergarten system that will offer Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday K at Taylors Falls Elementary. The more consistent schedule would mean an increase in 22 instructional days next year, from 83 to 105. 

If parents in the Primary School boundaries want to take advantage of the Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday program, they have to let the district know by April 1 and they will need to be able to transport their children inside the Taylors Falls busing routes. If there are too many students that apply for the program, the district will hold a lottery to determine the students that will participate in the pilot program. Although the board was in consensus that this wasn’t the best plan -- state funding for all day, every day K is what they are eventually shooting for -- they agreed that it was better than just standing pat. Primary School Principal Brenda Schell was in attendance, and she gave the plan her blessing despite her school not making a move. She said if they introduced the program at her school, it would cause a lot of “messy” bumping. 

Thimm said that he spoke with a principal in Mora, who is in their second year of the Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday program. “They just absolutely love it over there,” he said. Thimm did stress that the program was just a pilot and that it was a district program, not just a Taylors Falls program. The board members were optimistic that there would be funding in Governor Mark Dayton’s budget next year for all day, every day kindergarten. “Whatever funding comes to us, we will make a program with it,” McLoughlin said.

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