The Daily News

The Wahpeton School Board interviewed its fourth candidate for the superintendent position, Joel S. Young. He has been the superintendent of Red Lake Falls, Minn., School District since 2001. Current Superintendent Mike Connell will retire when his contract expires June 30.

Why is Young interested in the superintendent position in Wahpeton? His answer was simple.

"You have a great community," he said, expressing his admiration for its schools, the district and particularly its board. "Your governance approach to management is admirable."

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The first round of questions again dealt with how he perceives his role in relation to the district and its board.

"My role is to keep the school board informed, to bring you information so you can make a good decision, an informed decision," he said.

Continuing on to the topic of his experiences with budgets and financing, Young detailed how he designs his budgets based on census information, such as how many kids there are and will be in the coming years. He looks at the expected amount of funds, the anticipation of old and new taxes and the overview of the state of the district's buildings. He added that he's a believer in data-driven decisions.

Questioned about how he would manage the district, Young made it clear that he regularly defers to his business manager and his reports.

"As superintendent I want to see those reports," he said. "It's important to know where you are financially, to keep an eye on things. A superintendent should have foresight, (it's) crucial to management."

It is this confidence in his staff and their output that guides his style of administration, he added.

Young said if he were hired, change would not be immediate.

"I'm not going to throw out 21 years of progress and say ‘Here's Mr. Young's way,’" he said.

Instead, he would focus on making the transition into his role, in getting to know his staff. He would get input from the staff, teachers and administrators to find out what works.

He made his bottom line clear, though.

"It's all about the child and all about the system that educates the child."

Young said non-athletic extracurricular activities and electives are important to the educational process.

"We send buses all over for sports, but for speech we always find a reason not to do it," he said. "It's called 'extra-curricular activities,' not 'sports and the other stuff.' Does it strain budgets? Yes... It's a financial issue."

Asked what he viewed as the major issues the school would be facing over the next five years, Young responded, "One, No Child Left Behind. Two, No Child Left Behind... Third, what kids can and can't do," he said.

Young said classes should not be run by federal mandate, though he believes in basic concepts behind the No Child Left Behind Act. However, he said education is a local decision.

"I believe every child can learn. Does (sic) the public and the stakeholders believe that every child can learn? Teachers? I believe they do. And with that comes great success," he said.

Young concluded by discussing how he would make himself available to board members, faculty and the public. He emphasized the importance of not being seen merely in an educational context, but as a human being. He added that he's a people person who has no problems striking up conversations with anyone.

The fifth and final candidate for the superintendent position will be interviewed, Friday, at 7 p.m. The board will then convene on Monday at 5 p.m. and make their decision.

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