Year in Review — No. 4: Did the Shorewood School Board Force McCann to Retire?

Join us as we take a trip down memory lane and look at the top 10 Shorewood stories of 2012.

As the year winds down, we'll all surely look back at what we've done in 2012. Here at Shorewood Patch, we're doing the same thing with a list of the top 10 local stories of the year.  Join us as we take a trip down memory lane. The top stories were chosen based on page views in addition to the impact they had on the community. No. 4 — Did the Shorewood School Board Force McCann to Retire? Superintendent Blane McCann said it was simply time to move forward in announcing his decision to retire in the summer, but some in the community believed there was more going on behind the scenes, and accusations surfaced publicly at a School Board meeting on Jan. 11. A crowd of 50 passionately asked McCann reconsider or blamed board members for either …

• Photos (1)

Year in Review — No. 10: McCann Plans to Retire at End of School Year

Join us as we take a trip down memory lane and look at the top 10 Shorewood stories of 2012.

As the year winds down, we'll all surely look back at what we've done in 2012. Here at Shorewood Patch, we're doing the same thing with a list of the top 10 local stories of the year.  Join us as we take a trip down memory lane. The top stories were chosen based on page views in addition to the impact it had on the community. No. 10 — McCann Plans to Retire at End of School Year After nearly a decade at the helm in the Shorewood School District, Superintendent Blane McCann announced Jan. 9, he would retire at the end of the school year.  When the story broke, McCann told Patch he felt it was a good time to move forward, but he will miss the many wonderful people he has worked with over the nine years he has served as superintendent here. …

• Photos (1)

Shorewood School Board OKs Contract for New Superintendent Martin Lexmond

Officials approved a two-year contract with a $150,000 annual salary, along with a minimum 1.5 percent increase in the second year and first extension, for new Shorewood superintendent Martin Lexmond.

The Shorewood School Board put the final stamp on Martin Lexmond taking the helm as superintendent, unanimously approving a two-year pact Tuesday. The contract, which covers the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years, calls for a $150,000 salary and no less than a 1.5 percent increase after the first year, and the first extension of the contract. The contract goes into effect on July 1, when Lexmond takes over. "I'm really looking forward to getting started," Lexmond said Tuesday. "Just being present and interacting with teachers, and interacting with the community really starts the learning process and even adds to the excitement." Lexmond was selected as Shorewood's next school chief early last week, after a four-month search. He comes from …

•  9 Comments
• Photos (1)

The Donny Show

10:09 am on Friday, June 15, 2012

I own my own business. The more I sell the more I make. Thus, by definition I am paid EXACTLY what I am worth. I work about 70 hours a week. I work at least 6 days a week. In the past I always worked job where there was a salary and extensive commission and/or bonuses. Those who were more valued to the company were compensated more. That is the crux of my original comment. Lexmond is worth more …   more ›

Kohler's Lexmond Tapped as Shorewood's Next School Chief

Lexmond, superintendent and principal at Kohler Public Schools for the past two years, beat out current Lake Bluff Elementary School Principal Kirk Juffer for the post.

After a four-month search, school officials announced Martin Lexmond will take over as superintendent of the Shorewood School District this summer. “It is truly humbling to have an opportunity to serve the Shorewood community. Shorewood is known and respected for its commitment to student excellence,” Lexmond said in a prepared statement issued by the district. “I am excited to lead a team with such an enthusiasm for the education of its children.” Lexmond, superintendent and principal at Kohler Public Schools for the past two years, beat out current Lake Bluff Elementary School Principal Kirk Juffer for the post. He'll take over as head of Shorewood schools on July 1. Lexmond has previously been the director of curriculum and instruction …

•  6 Comments
• Photos (1)

Curtain Falls on Barbara Gensler's Drama Career at Shorewood High School

The Shorewood School Board approved her retirement request on Tuesday. Gensler's career spanned 47 years and touched many students in the theater and classroom. The SHS theater will be named in her honor.

Barbara Gensler is taking her final bows as the Shorewood High School theater legend on Tuesday requested and received approval from the School Board for her retirement at the end of the school year.  Gensler, who has spent 45 years putting Shorewood on the map by building a world-renowned drama department, wrote in a letter to the board that her request comes with a "sad heart." "I truly loved my work in all areas and I admit that I learned as much as our students and we all stretched together," she wrote. Gensler, who has been with the district for 47 years, indicated in her letter that a "physical problem" did not allow her continue in her current capacity. However, she did offer to be a volunteer director next year for a studio theater…

• Photos (1)

School Officials to Announce 2 Finalists in Superintendent Search on Friday

The district will hold four community meetings on two days next week allowing residents and district staff to get to know the candidates.

School officials say they will release the names of two finalists on Friday in the search for the Shorewood School District's new superintendent. The district has lined up community meetings on May 15 and May 17 where teachers and citizens can meet the candidates. On each day, four meetings will be held with residents and staff members welcome to attend, in most instances. The search comes after current Superintendent Blane McCann announced his retirement in early January, after 10 years in Shorewood. The district then hired a consultant to help in their search. The meeting schedule for both days is as follows: A RSVP isn't required, though officials request advance notification, if possible. To RSVP, call Kim Grady at (414) 963-6901 or …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (1)

The Donny Show

1:29 pm on Friday, May 11, 2012

Who are the finalists?   more ›

School Officials to Interview Six Candidates for Shorewood School Chief

Officials say they will present two to three candidates to the community in a few weeks after interviewing six in closed session next week.

Residents and stakeholders will soon learn the names of those in the running to replace Superintendent of Shorewood schools Blane McCann. School officials say the consultant hired to aid the search for a new chief has selected six candidates from a pool of 39 applicants. The School Board will conduct interviews in closed session on Wednesday and Friday and whittle the group to two or three. The remaining candidates will tour the district's four schools over a two-day period and meet with different groups including adminstrators, teachers and citizens. An open meeting is planned for Monday to determine a timeline for the meetings. School Board President Rob Reinhoffer said the plan is to name the district's next superintendent by the end of…

• Photos (1)

What Does Shorewood Want to See in a New Superintendent?

Armed with a profile of what residents and district staff want based on focus groups and online surveys, firm BWP and Associates says it is moving on to the next step.

The firm tasked with hunting for new candidates to fill the shoes of retiring Shorewood School Superintendent Blane McCann said Tuesday it plans to start screening candidates in mid-April. Illinois-based consulting firm BWP and Associates held focus groups in January asking members of the community and district staff to identify the characteristics they would like in a new school chief, after current school chief McCann announced he would retire this summer. The firm said it will use the suggestions indentified in the meetings and an online survey to develop its profile and narrow down the field of candidates. The School Board will also use the information to develop interview questions. According to Anne Noland, one of four consultants …

•  15 Comments
• Photos (1)

SPECIAL REPORT

How A Year of Uncertainty Has Affected Shorewood Teachers

They’re giving voice to fears and concerns, as board members and the outgoing superintendent offer reassurances.

Shorewood High School English teacher Mike Halloran taps the wall-mounted screen at the front of his classroom and instructs his students on how to upload their term papers. He turns back around, surveys the class with a devilish grin, and shows his students how effective the new software is at detecting plagiarism. He pauses a moment before laughing softly and telling his class that he knows them well enough to know it won't come to that. The wall behind him fills with a slideshow and he moves on to ancient mythology. As an English teacher, Halloran helps students find their voice through writing. Similarly, in his role as president of the Shorewood Education Association, he has relished watching his colleagues develop their own voice. It…

•  49 Comments
• Photos (1)
• Videos (4)

CowDung

5:00 pm on Saturday, February 18, 2012

I would think that the issue of 'getting through boring stuff' is best left in the high school. In elementary school, they should be doing everything they can to make subjects more exciting and interesting for the kids. Forcing a 4th grade kid to fight through a science project that holds no interest for him/her really isn't the best way to foster a lasting interest in the sciences. A quick walk …   more ›

Questions Surfacing in Omaha about Why McCann Is Leaving Shorewood

Concerns in Nebraska district over superintendent's relationship with School Board here.

As School Superintendent Blane McCann prepares to head to Omaha, NE, to lead a school district there, questions are being raised in his new district about his reasons for leaving Shorewood. The Westside Community School Board voted 4-2 to on Monday to hire McCann to as superintendent of the district, which has 13 schools and nearly 5,900 students. Westside is the third largest district in the city of Omaha. However, some Westside residents and board members said they weren't satisfied with the reasons McCann provided for leaving Shorewood, according to the Omaha World-Herald. "It was, in our opinion, a little bit of a weak answer and not fully disclosing," Westside School Board member Barney Marvin told the newspaper. "And that's what …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)