Profile created for Marathon superintendent

By Kevin O’Brien

When asked what they want to see in a new superintendent, the staff, students and school board members at the Marathon School District agree that they want someone who shows strong but cooperative leadership and will respect the district’s traditions while being open to change. Showing up at sports games and other community events wouldn’t hurt, either.

“The new administrator must be a good listener, be genuine, be trusted, have integrity and build relationships that will be the driving force to all of the work” done by the district, according a leadership profile report compiled by Hazard, Young, Attea (HYA) Associates.

Scott Winch, the former superintendent of the Stratford School District who now works as a consultant for HYA, delivered the 15page report to the school board at its monthly meeting on Feb. 12. The presentation of the report was the latest step in the process to find a replacement for superintendent Rick Parks, who is retiring at the end of this school year after nearly 25 years in the district.

HYA’s report was based on input from 67 students, staff and school board members who participated in one of 12 different focus groups and nine interviews. An online sur-

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vey also garnered 83 responses to questions about the district’s strengths and challenges and the qualities sought in a new administrator. The “desired characteristics” of a new superintendent varied among staff, students and school board members, but some common themes emerged, such as the need for someone who is a good listener and willing to be involved in the community and build relationships among the district’s different stakeholders.

“A critical characteristic of the new superintendent is that he or she MUST be approachable, be a people person and continue to uphold the core community beliefs, values and principles,” the report states.

Winch also went through the district’s strengths and challenges as identified by the focus groups. Staff, students and school board members said they are happy with the district’s high academic standards and wide variety of student activities to choose from, and they also believe the district is in good shape financially, in large part because of community support.

The report notes that local voters have approved five referendums since 2005, including two for facilities projects and three for operational purposes. The student population of approximately 775 has an overall studentteacher rate of 12 to 1, and the number of students entering the district through open enrollment is twice the number of students leaving, according to the report.

However, all of the focus groups said they were concerned about overcrowding in the district’s schools, especially at the elementary, as population growth continues to push west from Wausau. Even though staff turnover has been low, concerns were expressed about the number of veteran teachers who will be retiring in the next few years.

Winch said the next step will involve board members convening into closed session at their March 12 meeting in order to review all of the applicants who respond to the job posting by the Feb. 27 deadline. The board will then do a first round of interviews on March 17 and 18 and identify a list of finalists to be invited to the district on April 7 for tours and final interviews.

Following a background check, the board will officially hire and announce the new superintendent at its April 9 meeting.

Winch said HYA is expecting to get around 12 to 15 applicants for the position.

“I think it’s going to be a good candidate pool,” he said.

HYA’s full leadership profile report is available on the district’s website, www. marathon.k12.wi.us, in the District Administrator Search tab under the Community menu.

Preparing for ‘the bubble’

During a rundown of Marathon High School’s staffing plan for 2025-2026, principal Dave Beranek noted that many teachers will have an overload of classes next year in response to a “bubble” of students making its way through grades 9 to 12.

The high school will be adding 15 to 20 new students in the next couple of years, pushing the enrollment over 300 for the first time in many years, Beranek said. As a result, most teachers in core subject areas will be teaching more than six sections in a day, which is considered a full load.

According to a list of class sections and full-time staff, teachers in nine subject areas will be handling more than their normal course load next school year. The school’s agriscience teacher, Taylor Ensign, will be teaching four sections of freshmen science plus her ag classes, creating an overload in the first semester and a double overload (seven sections) in the second.

Beranek said a double overload is not something he would normally recommend.

“We’ve had some teachers do it, and it’s a lot,” he said. “She’s willing to make a run at it so there’s some consistency with the same freshmen science teacher.”

As the wave of students moves through the district over the next few years, Beranek said administrators will have to plan ahead to make sure all of the classes are fully staffed and enough rooms are available. Up to five veteran teachers are expected to retire in the next few years, he noted, which means the district will have to make strategic decisions when hiring replacements.

Board members approved the staffing and sectioning plan for 2025-2026, but with the understanding that something different will need to be done for following years before the high school enrollment drops back down again.

“We can make this work for next year,” Beranek said. “I’ve spoken to every single teacher, and they all have a vision in their head.”

Other business

■ Title 1 teacher Christine Sorge and reading interventionist Kathy Kroeplin told the board that a total of 36 students in kindergarten through third grade qualified for an individualized reading plan after scoring in the bottom 25th percentile on literacy assessments. Under the state’s new Act 20 requirements, students must remain on the reading plan until they have reached grade-level reading proficiency.

■ The board approved a petition from the Seeger family in the town of Stettin to alter the district’s boundaries so that their kids would be considered residents of the Marathon School District. The petition involves two parcels of land located on CTH U that are currently located right on the western edge of the Wausau School District. Board president Jodi DeBroux recused herself and exited the room during the discussion.

Parks said he did not see a downside to granting the petition, as the district would be gaining both students and land, which will increase its valuation and state aid. The Wausau School Board had previously denied the petition, so it will not be up to the family to decide if they want to appeal to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

■ The board approved a travel request from the varsity baseball team, which plans o visiting St. Louis, Mo. for a tournament during spring break. Head coach Steve Warren said 15 players and four adult chaperones plan on going on the trip, which also include a stop at Abraham Lincoln’s home in Springfield, Ill. and a scrimmage game with a Division 2 team in Delavan.

■ The board approved the retirement of library media specialist Gwen Altmann.

■ The board renewed the district’s shared services contract with CESA 9 for 20252026, at a cost of $46,287, about $5,000 more than this year.

■ Max Wienke, principal of Marathon Elementary and Marathon Venture Academy, said 41 students and parents from MVA and St. Mary’s Catholic School have signed up to go on a trip to Washington, D.C., which will be held again next year before returning to once every two years.

■ Associate principal Connor Ellenbecker said summer school is tentatively scheduled to run for three weeks in June and three weeks in July, though he noted that the number of certified staff interested in teaching summer classes has decreased.

■ The board voted to send out requests for proposals (RFPs) for replacing or repairing two sections of roof on school buildings this summer.

■ The board approved a host of policy revisions, including one regarding the administration of medications that calls for training some staff to give opiate antagonists in the event of an overdose. Another policy regarding the use of service animals in the schools was put on hold after board member Ted Knoeck raised questions about what kind of documentation should be required for someone to bring a potentially dangerous dog into the schools.

Scott Winch