December 5, 2024 - NPAS Staff District Newsletter

 

Dear NPAS’ Staff,

 

Greetings and hope this message finds you all well!  Last month, I shared a brief update regarding our plans to realign our district leadership positions based on the Director of Business Services, Sandy Linn’s, pending retirement.  In a previous communication, we shared that Brian Fell has been hired as our new Director of Business Services. Brian has a wealth of experience; I am confident he will be an excellent addition to our leadership team and look forward to him officially beginning in this role after the New Year. 

 

Due to the change in the role of Business Services, the duties of Human Resources will now be moved under the leadership of our current Director of Educational Services, Tony Buthe. In addition to being the primary contact for Human Resources, Tony will also continue to focus on strategic partnerships and relationships, both within the school district and greater communities, as well as oversee the day-to-day operations of our educational programs. Join me in thanking Tony for stepping up to take on these additional responsibilities at a time when we are working to control costs but also provide excellent customer service to all. 

 

Finally, the significant change to the roles and responsibilities of the Director of Educational Services also necessitates a change to our Educational Services Department. As such, I have asked Shawn Brandt, Director of Technology Integration, and Maren Bahler, Director of Curriculum and Assessment, to redesign the department to continue to provide effective academic support throughout the organization, all the while preparing our school system for current and future challenges. This work is ongoing and more detail will be shared when it becomes available.

 

Again, please know these decisions were not made lightly and were centered on our desire to continue to provide effective operational and academic support throughout the NPAS; working to be as cost-sensitive as possible; and, finally with an increased focus on academics and student achievement. Please feel free to contact me or your supervisor if you have any thoughts or questions. 

 

Best wishes from my family to yours for a meaningful Holiday Season! I hope it is filled with ample time to reconnect with both friends and family, as well as time for rest and relaxation. I, too, am looking forward to a few days off at the end of the month and then look forward to continuing our collaborations on behalf of all of our wonderful students in early January. 

 

Thank you for all that you do in helping to make the New Prague Area Schools not only great places for students to learn from but also for adults to work and interact. 

 

Most Sincerely, 

Andrew Vollmuth

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Prague Area Schools and Saint Mary's University of Minnesota have entered into a partnership with the Trusted Partner Scholarship Program. This program provides special benefits for district employees and a spouse if looking to pursue coursework at Saint Mary's University.

 

For more information and to learn more about what Saint Mary's has to offer, visit: Saint Mary's Partnership Scholarship Program 

 

The New Prague Area Schools have recently completed a facilities study and are now updating our plan for the future of the school district's facilities. Community input and involvement are important to us, as we want our facility plan to reflect the values of our community.

 

To achieve this, we are forming a task force that will include staff, parents, and community members. This task force will meet 4–5 times, starting in early 2025.

 

The task force will review information about our buildings, assist in prioritizing our needs, tour our facilities, and ultimately provide a recommendation to the school board. An application to join the task force will be available in early January, with more details to be shared at that time.