New Lisbon School District begins search for new principal

Weston School District announced Syftestad as the new principal Aug. 15.

At a special Board of Education meeting Aug. 26 the New Lisbon School Board and Superintendent Dennis Birr discussed the interview process to replace Syftestad.

According to Birr, the district received 30 applications for the position. Staff and administration combed through the 30 applicants and narrowed the choices to seven. Reference and background checks further narrowed the applicant pool to the five “best fit” candidates.

Birr said two of the applicants being considered are currently serving as teachers locally, though not in the New Lisbon School District; one applicant was an interim principal last school year in another district; one applicant is a current principal in another school district; and the final applicant is a teacher who teaches “further away.”

Now that the candidate pool has been winnowed down to five, staff at the school are bringing in the candidates for interviews Aug. 30.

“We’ll bring the best candidates to the board… Sept. 3,” Birr said. “And they’re going to do the final interviews.”

According to Birr, the superintendents for all five of the candidates have already agreed to let the candidates out of their contracts with their current districts if New Lisbon offers the principal position. However, Birr does not believe the process will be completed by the time school starts the first week of September.

“We’ll go through the first two weeks of school without, until the new principal can arrive,” Birr said. “That’s my expectation.”

Despite Syftestad’s sudden departure, Birr feels the district is prepared for the new school year.

“Gary, before he left for Weston, left us a lot of information that is normally covered in staff meetings to start the year,” Birr said. “Gary had all the plans ready for the school year, he had all the handbooks ready, we’re ready to go.”

During those first two weeks of school Birr will assume principal duties relating to staff, while guidance counselor Mark Hansen will take on the student facing principal duties. Elementary school principal Mark Toelle and the special education director will assist Birr and Hansen.