District Administration - October 2010 - (Page 79)

Superintendent Brad Saron is known for bringing fresh ideas to Cashton, including a student fitness center and the latest in technology. Saron also has various roles as a rural district chief, including as business manager, which require him to complete a lot of paperwork. Superintendent: Cashton (Wis.) Public Schools Years in current position: 4 Age: 35 Salary: $98,600 Number of schools: 3 District size: 120 sq. miles Number of staff: 98 Percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch: 42 Number of students: 584 Graduation rate: 98 percent Operating budget: $7,063,206 (2010-2011) Web site: www.cashton.k12.wi.us Brad Saron study the trend of overburdening administrators—which he terms “administrative compression.” Compression is reducing administrators’ leadership effectiveness by spreading them too thin at precisely the time when their attention should be focused on making reforms, he says. a natural Fit Education was a natural career choice for Saron, who grew up in the resort area of Door County, which lies on a peninsula on Lake Michigan, more than 180 miles from Cashton. Like his father, who still works as an English teacher in Door County, Saron attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, majored in English literature, and played college football. He credits both his parents, but especially his mother who has worked as a paramedic, for his people skills and ability to work under pressure. After graduating college, he spent a year teaching high school English in the trict’s superintendent; he is also the district’s business manager, a function that in a larger district would be performed by a separate department. He has written a graduate dissertation, penned opinion pieces, and worked with other Wisconsin administrators to www.DistrictAdministration.com rural Blair-Taylor District before moving to the urban School District of La Crosse, where he taught high school grammar and composition for five years. In 2004, at age 29, Saron became principal at Cashton’s middle school and high school, which share one building. As principal, he embarked on a series of academic reforms, including altering the high school course sequence so that students take physics in their freshman year. In addition to using the skills that students are learning in their algebra I course, freshman-year physics also teaches students about the fundamental concepts of matter and energy that form the basis of chemistry and biology, which provides a foundation for later science classes, including an advanced physics elective. Saron worked with other administrators to equip school buildings with fully wireless Internet access. During his tenure as principal, teachers had access October 2010 79 http://www.cashton.k12.wi.us http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2010

District Administration - October 2010
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Facilities Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Conversations
The Price of a Good Education
Dividing Arizona
Making Your School Future-Proof
Connecting Curriculum with Community
A Small District’s Big Innovator
New Books
New Products
Product Focus
Tech Disruptions
Superintendent’s Insights
Online Edge
Professional Opinion

District Administration - October 2010