District 197 Interviews Top Choice for Interim Position

Tom Nelson, the District 197 personnel committee’s choice for interim superintendent, handled a one-hour interview by the school board Thursday without a false step.

The board is in the process of replacing former after his departure to the Farmington Area School District last month.

Nelson most recently finished a school year as the interim for the Stillwater Area School District, where among other projects he oversaw the process of adjusting the district’s boundaries.

School board member Pat Barnum, who sits on the personnel committee, said Nelson’s depth of experience set him apart, as well as his priorities. “He really gets who we are. He gets that whole vision for technology, for change and moving forward.”

School board member Dewayne Dill led the questioning of Nelson, and first addressed what he termed as the most pressing issue facing the district—the .

The district will be asking voters one question in November, requesting to renew an existing levy and increase it to roughly $3.5 million.

Nelson said he has had experience leading a number of successful referendums, but said there would be options for how to proceed, and that as a new superintendent he doesn’t necessarily have to be the public face of the campaign.

“First of all it makes me nervous to have all your cards on the table,” said Nelson, although later he said the amount being requested was not as large as he had expected. “It requires a great deal of support by the entire community.”

Nelson described elections as “kind of enjoyable.”

Board members also asked Nelson about his ability to juggle the referendum with other district initiatives, in particular the strategic redesign effort being spearheaded by board chairs Mark Spurr and Cristina Gillette, as well as a committee of community members.

 “There has to be a way to do things more efficiently moving forward. There’s never going to be enough money,” Nelson said. “The thing to watch is that you don’t get too far ahead of your community.”

Before serving the Stillwater Area School District, Nelson was the superintendent of South Washington County School District.

He started his career as a teacher in Austin, MN. He served as a DFLer in the Senate from 1977-1986, worked as a lobbyist for the University of Minnesota briefly before being hired on to the Rudy Perpich administration for the last year of Perpich’s term as governor.

After receiving superintendent certification, Nelson served in Jackson Hole, WY, where he said school let out early on Fridays so children could ski, before returning to Minnesota and leading the Buffalo School District from 1994-2005.

The school board meets 7 p.m. Monday at for a business meeting. An update on the interim position is listed on the agenda.