Elk Mound middle school principal hired as new superintendent in Elk Mound

By LeAnn R. Ralph

ELK MOUND  —  Eric Wright says he is honored to become the new superintendent in the Elk Mound school district.

Wright has served as the principal of Elk Mound middle school for a little more than a decade.

During a closed session December 21, the Elk Mound Board of Education approved hiring Wright as the superintendent and also approved the new superintendent’s contract.

Dr. Ron Walsh, the school district’s superintendent for the past 13 years, will be retiring June 30.

The school board put quite a lot of time and effort into selecting the next superintendent and used a community survey and focus groups to help give them direction, Dr. Walsh said.

The school board also spent quite a lot of time interviewing candidates for the superintendent’s position, he said.

Out of all of the candidates the Board of Education interviewed, “Mr. Wright convinced them that he was the person who should be the next superintendent,” Dr. Walsh said.

“He will do a great job. It feels good to know he will work well with the board,” he said.

“It’s so much of an honor. It’s a great school district. It’s a great community,” Wright said.

In addition to serving as the principal at Elk Mound Middle School since 2004, Wright has worked as the school district’s transportation director, has worked on district curriculum development and has served as the middle school athletic director.

Wright is originally from Fall Creek. Before coming to Elk Mound, he taught in Webster, Thorp and Altoona.

Exemplary

According to a news release sent out by the school district, “Under Mr. Wright’s principalship, Elk Mound’s Middle School was deemed an ‘Exemplary Middle School’ by the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators in 2008 and again in 2010.”

During his tenure as Elk Mound middle school principal, Wright has worked closely with Dr. Walsh as well as with Paul Weber, principal at Elk Mound High School, Eric Hanson, principal at Mound View Elementary, and the district’s special education director, Jennifer Olson.

Wright also has worked closely with the award-winning nationally-recognized Elk Mound Board of Education.

In recent years, the Elk Mound school board has won two coveted Magna Awards sponsored by the National School Boards Association.

“I am excited to take on the challenges that face public education today in the role of superintendent,” Wright said.

“Our teachers and support staff deliver superb instruction day after day with dedication and love,” he said.

Wright says the Elk Mound school district has been blessed with strong support from parents and the community at large.

“I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work with such a strong administrative team as well as a school board that has been recognized for its greatness in leading with trust,” Wright said.

“I pledge to put my heart and soul into my work every day to do what is best for our students,” he said.

Continuity

The continuity that Eric Wright will provide in the superintendent’s position is extremely valuable to the school district, Dr. Walsh said.

Over the past 36 years, the Elk Mound Board of Education has worked to make sure there is continuity in the hiring of school superintendents.

Dr. Walsh’s predecessor, Bill Vincent, was hired as superintendent in 1979.

Dr. Walsh began working in the school district as principal at Elk Mound Middle School in 1992 and became superintendent in 2002, so that by the time Bill Vincent was ready to retire, Dr. Walsh had been in the district for ten years.

Eric Wright began working in Elk Mound as the middle school principal in 2004, and by the time Dr. Walsh officially retires at the end of June, Wright will have been in the district for 12 years.

Dr. Walsh likes to refer to the continuity as “overlap in tenure.”

“I think the board made a wise choice. We’re very happy for Eric,” Dr. Walsh said.

Dr. Walsh will officially retire June 30, but he has offered to come back to work as a volunteer in July and August to help Wright put together his first official school district budget for the 2016-2017 school year.

“I’m happy to help him. Bill (Vincent) did it for me,” Dr. Walsh said.

“I can’t thank (Dr. Walsh) enough for his leadership,” Wright said.

Energy and urgency

“Our school board is looking forward to a new beginning with Mr. Wright in the superintendent’s chair,” said Tim Sivertson, president of the Board of Education.

“Mr. Wright brings an energy and urgency that we will need as we look to manage our growing population of students and their varying needs,” he said.

“We look forward to fulfilling Mr. Wright’s vision of continually improving student achievement and to redevelop our school district’s strategic plan,” Sivertson said.

Sivertson described Dr. Walsh’s 23 years of leadership in the district as “excellent.”

“We know Mr. Wright will carry on the tradition of strong leadership and high standards set by Dr. Walsh,” he said.