Superintendent Search
District 518 School Board Selects Superintendent
Worthington, MN— At a special board meeting held February 10, 2025, the District 518 School Board unanimously voted to select Joel Heitkamp as the district’s next superintendent. Mr. Heitkamp currently serves as the Executive Director of Operations for the St. Cloud Area School District.
“Joel has demonstrated through his experience and skills he has the qualifications necessary to lead District 518 forward. His students-first decision-making, focus on collaboration and strong communication, along with his dedication to ensure a safe, inclusive, and welcoming learning environment for all students make him the right fit for our district,” said Adam Blume, School Board Chair.
The school board will be conducting negotiations with Mr. Heitkamp and a contract is expected to be approved by the school board at a February 18 regular board meeting.
The pending start date for the new superintendent is July 1, 2025.
La Junta Directiva Escolar del Distrito 518 Selecciona al Superintendente
Worthington, MN: En reunión especial de la directiva escolar que se llevó a cabo el 10 de febrero del 2025, la Junta Directiva Escolar del Distrito 518 votó unánimemente para seleccionar a Joel Heitkamp como el próximo superintendente del distrito. Actualmente el Sr. Heitkamp se desempeña como director ejecutivo de Operaciones del Distrito Escolar en St. Cloud.
Adam Blume, presidente de la Junta Directiva Escolar dijo: ” Por medio de su experiencia y habilidades, Joel ha demostrado que tiene las aptitudes necesarias para liderar al Distrito 518. Su toma de decisiones que prioriza a los estudiantes, su enfoque en la colaboración y su excelente comunicación, junto con su dedicación para garantizar un entorno de aprendizaje seguro, inclusivo y amistoso para todos los estudiantes, hacen que él sea la opción acertada para nuestro distrito escolar”.
La junta escolar llevará a cabo negociaciones con el Sr. Heitkamp y se espera que en esta reunión regular del 18 de febrero se apruebe el contrato.
Se anticipa que el nuevo superintendente inicie labores el 1 de julio de 2025.
Timeline
| September 18, 2024 | Planning meeting – Board adopts search timeline, reviews hiring criteria, search procedures, market positioning, and stakeholder involvement |
| October 15, 2024 – November 12, 2024 | Stakeholder survey open online and in hard copy |
| November 6, 2024 | MSBA host informational Q@A session on Zoom – will be recorded for viewing throughout search |
| November 25, 2024 – January 12, 2025 | MSBA posts opening on local, regional, and national websites, advertises position vacancy, receives applications, and responds to applicant inquiries |
| December 9, 2024 | Board meets for interview training, and to discuss stakeholder report, interview questions, and procedures |
| January 12, 2025 | Application Deadline |
| January 13 – February 3, 2025 | MSBA conducts screening, preliminary verification of references, pre-interviews of recommended applicants |
| January 14 – February 3, 2025 | Board members review applications |
| February 3, 2025 | Board meets to determine finalists, interview questions and procedures; MSBA reviews interview training |
| February 7, 2025 | Board conducts first round of interviews |
| February 10, 2025 | Board conducts reference checks and holds second round of interviews; Board selects lone finalists and sets negotiations process |
| February 11, 2025 | Board designee begins negotiations of employment contract with lone finalist |
| February 18, 2025 | Board meets to approve employment contract |
| July 1, 2025 | New superintendent reports to work |
Virtual Meeting
To ensure all constituents in the district have access to accurate information regarding search processes and expectations, MSBA hosted a virtual Q & A with MSBA on Wednesday, November 6. All interested individuals were invited to attend the live session; however, to accommodate busy schedules as well as ensure access to search information, the session was recorded and is available for the remainder of the search.
If you were unable to join us live, please click the link below to watch the recording. Contact Barb Dorn, MSBA Director of Leadership Development and Executive Search, at 507-508-5501 with any questions. Thank you for your interest and participation in the superintendent search process!
Community engagement
Survey
An anonymous public survey was available for all interested parties to fill out between October 15 – November 12, 2024.
Following the survey deadline of November 12, MSBA will summarize and provide an overview of the responses for presentation to the School Board. Survey results will be available board approval.