Kittson Central hires interim superintendent

By Anna Jauhola
The Kittson Central School Board approved hiring an interim superintendent during a special meeting held Tuesday, May 28.
Wade Johnson, of Pelican Rapids, Minn., will begin his role on Monday, July 1. Johnson is currently ending his seven-year stretch as interim superintendent at Rothsay, Minn., School District. Johnson is a retired administrator and teacher, which led him to establish a limited liability corporation, or LLC, to allow him to receive payment that won’t affect his pension.
“Wade Johnson, LLC, is the actual entity … which is responsible for paying all the applicable taxes and everything else going forward,” Mark Johnson said. “He’s on board with our long-term plan of looking for a full-time superintendent as we go through the winter months and into the first months of the year, we’ll start that process.”
In checking Wade Johnson’s background, the committee visited with not only his references but other teachers, staff and administrators from his current and previous positions.
“Everyone we talked to had favorable things to say about Wade and we feel we have a good candidate,” Johnson said.
Board Chair Eric Ristad, who was also on the interview committee, said Wade Johnson is also willing to serve more than one year should the search for a permanent superintendent stall.
Through negotiations, the committee and Johnson agreed to a salary of $150,000. Mark Johnson said they used Superintendent Bob Jaszczak’s base salary as a template and talked about expectations for the position.
“In the end, because he’s an LLC, he doesn’t need insurance, he doesn’t need retirement, FICA, all those expenses,” Johnson said. “So he set a dollar amount.”
The $150,000 is about $5,000 less than Jaszczak’s full compensation, which includes salary and benefits.
Wade Johnson has a long career, having started as a teacher, serving in Waseca, Detroit Lakes and New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva. He was also high school principal at Warren-Alvarado-Oslo, and superintendent at Rothsay.
While both Johnson and the second candidate were strong contenders, the committee preferred Johnson as the district is looking to remain on a steady path, updating staff, and handling a referendum this fall.
Jaszczak said Johnson plans to attend the June school board meeting and also has been working to find housing in the community.
The board’s next meeting is set for Wednesday, June 26 at 8 p.m. in the boardroom at Kittson Central School.