Sartell Approves New Teacher Contract, Staff Hiring Continues

SARTELL -- As the Minneapolis School District continues to deal with the teacher strike, the Sartell-St. Stephen school district won't find themselves in a similar situation.

The school board approved a new two-year contract with its teachers during Monday nights meeting.

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Superintendent Jeff Ridlehoover says there was never a threat of a teacher strike and conversations were very collaborative.

The Sartell Education Association has worked with in partnership for the last several months to find a reasonable resolution that both parties can be satisfied with. While there is give and take on both sides we landed in a good spot.

Ridlehoover says they value their teachers and what they do for their students. He says negotiations did take a little longer than anticipated but there wasn't a concern among district officials about not reaching a fair settlement.

As for next school year, Ridlehoover says there are some changes are coming at several key administrative positions within the district.

The school board recently hired Foley High School principal Shayne Kusler as their new high school principal beginning this summer.

Ridlehoover says they had a strong list of candidates and are excited to bring Kusler's educational experience to the district.

We really feel fortunate to attain a high quality candidate to run our high school. He also brings something more to the table with being a former dean of students and guidance counselor.

Ridlehoover says current interim athletics director Nic Peterson plans to return to his former role as assistant principal at the high school. He says they plan to start interviewing candidates for the position after spring break.

The district is also looking for a new assistant superintendent after Kay Nelson recently accepted a similar position with District 742.