St. Paul’s Joe Gothard gets superintendent job in Madison, Wis.

Alex Derosier, Pioneer Press
Updated ·3 min read

St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Joe Gothard will be the next superintendent of his hometown school district in Madison, Wis.

After being confirmed by the Madison Metropolitan Schools Board of Education at a special Monday meeting, Gothard will start his new job no later than July 1, according to the school district.

Born and raised in Madison, Gothard graduated from high school there and returned to work in the district for 18 years as a teacher, coach and principal. He was hired as superintendent of the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District in Minnesota in 2013 and took the St. Paul job in 2017.

“Having grown up in Madison, and having attended MMSD from kindergarten through grade 12, I am excited to return home,” Gothard said in a news release announcing his selection.

Gothard’s selection as Madison’s new superintendent comes after he was named National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators on Feb. 15.

The award is presented to school system leaders who make a positive difference in students’ lives and ensure the safety and wellness of their communities. Other evaluation criteria include professionalism, community involvement and communication.

In October, Gothard was named Minnesota Superintendent of the Year by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators, qualifying him for the national award. The state association noted Gothard’s “transformative change for SPPS with American Rescue Plan (ARP) spending” to create an Innovation Office that supported initiatives across the district.

None of the St. Paul school board members who hired Gothard are still in office, and his children have graduated.

His current contract, signed in 2022, runs through 2025-26 and is loaded with incentives aimed at keeping him from leaving early.

Now that it appears Gothard is headed out the door, St. Paul Public Schools says it will begin a search for his replacement. The district plans to hire an outside search firm and will appoint an interim superintendent when Gothard leaves.

“Dr. Gothard has been a strong leader for SPPS, and we are grateful for his nearly seven years of service to this community,” said Halla Henderson, chair of the St. Paul school board. “At the same time, we are excited he has the opportunity to continue his career and return to his hometown with his family.”

Gothard interviewed in Madison from Feb. 6 to Feb. 7, along with two other candidates: Mohammed Choudhury, Maryland’s former state schools superintendent, and Yvonne Stokes, former superintendent in Hamilton, Ind.

Madison’s current superintendent, Carlton Jenkins, announced nearly one year ago that he would be retiring.

Madison’s school board has been interviewing candidates since mid-December. Their district has 26,000 students, somewhat smaller than St. Paul’s 33,000.

Interim superintendent of Madison schools Lisa Kvistad will continue to serve until her replacement takes the job.

“We are all eager to have Dr. Gothard here in MMSD with us, and we also acknowledge and respect that he will have details to work through as he finishes the year as St. Paul’s Superintendent,” she said.

Gothard’s likely departure comes as St. Paul Public Schools, the state’s second-largest school district, faces a $107.7 million budget shortfall, concerns over safety, persistent competition from charter schools and contract negotiations with its teachers union.

The St. Paul Federation of Educators on Monday filed its intent to strike, the fourth time it has done so since 2018. Teachers are set to walk off the job on March 11 unless the district and union can reach an agreement.

Before negotiations became private the district and union positions were $94 million apart.

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