Superintendent introduces two central-office directors and announces soft "ships" rebranding and facilities timeline

Superintendent Lee Hansen used his report to introduce two new central-office leaders and to outline several district initiatives.

Hansen formally introduced Stacy O'Pali as the district's new director of human resources and Nathan Nolke as director of business services. He also provided an updated administrative contact list for the district. "Huge welcome to Sam," Hansen said, thanking prior staff for their service and noting the new directors will begin participating in committee work.

Hansen described a "soft rollout" of a districtwide branding effort centered on a "ships" theme, including a new website and banners. He said the branding is intended to foster unity across buildings while preserving individual school identities. "By the time we kick off school, we'll be talking about our kids as ships and educators as shipbuilders," Hansen said.

On facilities, Hansen reported the Facility Advisory Committee completed a "build your own district" exercise that produced more than 40 options focused on two main factors: number of schools and grade configurations. The committee will review and narrow options over July and August, with a target of bringing substantive recommendations to the board by October.

Hansen and a board member also described a free transition meeting with the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) that will introduce an online evaluation tool for the superintendent; the tool lets board members complete assessments and compiles results for the board president and administration.