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July 1, 2021
Dear Students, Staff, Families, and Community,
With great excitement, I begin my tenure as the new Superintendent for the Port Washington-
Saukville School District. I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Board of Education for providing me with the privilege to work side-by-side with the Port Washington-Saukville learning community. I am looking forward to partnering with our students, staff, families, and community to ensure that we meet the district’s established mission and vision by continuing to build off of the many outstanding things already found in the Port Washington-Saukville School District. I look forward to meeting and getting to know many of you this summer and during the upcoming school year. Please look for additional information on our district Facebook page and website regarding future opportunities for us to connect in the coming weeks.I want to begin by sharing a little bit about myself. My early educational experiences include teaching and coaching in Princeton, Wisconsin at the middle and high school level, serving the North Fond du Lac School District as a High School Assistant Principal and Athletic Director, and working as a Middle School Principal for the Waupun Area School District. I then spent close to a decade working for the Madison Metropolitan School District as an Assistant Principal, Principal, and District AVID Director and School Improvement Leader. More recently, I spent five years in the Twin Cities area as the Director of Instruction, Director of Secondary Schools, and the Assistant Superintendent for the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District. For the last two plus years, I served as the Chief of Schools for the Saint Paul Public School District, overseeing more than 60 schools and programs serving roughly 38,000 students. My experiences as a classroom teacher, coach, building administrator, and district-level leader have instilled in me an unwavering belief that every single student can learn, grow and succeed, and deserves to be seen, heard, understood, and supported in ways that represent them individually. I am committed to working collaboratively with all the stakeholders in the Port Washington-Saukville School District to assure all our students have the essential skills to be college, career, and real-world ready. As we grow in our work together, I am confident that we will make informed decisions that build upon the strong foundation that already exists in the Port Washington-Saukville School District, while collectively finding ways to take our schools to the next level of excellence for the betterment of our students.
Although my work with the Port Washington-Saukville School District is just beginning, I want you to know that over the last few weeks I have started to work with Dr. Weber and members of the administrative teams to take the necessary steps to ensure a smooth transition and to ground myself in the many strengths and potential opportunities found within the district. The Port Washington-Saukville students, staff, families, and community have many reasons to be proud of their communities and school district. I have been touched by the welcome I have received from those I have had the pleasure to meet, and it is clear the pride and dedication you hold for the success of each school community and all of our students. I look forward to our journey together in serving the students of the Port Washington-Saukville School District.
Regards,
Dave Watkins
Superintendent
