School chief finalists no strangers to PW-S District

PORT WASHINGTON - The two finalists for Port Washington-Saukville School District superintendent — Michael Juech, assistant superintendent of operations for the Howard-Suamico School District, and Michael McMahon, director of teaching and learning for the Grafton School District — are no strangers to the school system they want to lead.

Juech told the roughly 50 people who attended a community forum in the Port Washington High School gym Tuesday that he grew up in Cedarburg, and his father Jim Juech was working as a grocery store manager when he went to college to earn a teaching degree and became a longtime fourth-grade teacher at Saukville Elementary School.

“I had a community member ask me recently if I’d consider applying for this job,” Juech said, referring to the Port-Saukville superintendent position. “When I got that phone call, it became all about reconnecting with this community. It’s a community that means something to me, a community that changed my life.”

It is no mistake, McMahon said, that he and his wife Julia live in Saukville with their three children. She is a Port Washington High School graduate, as was her mother and grandmother.

“I mentioned to someone the other day that my children are going to be fourth-generation Port Pirates,” he said. “It was important to us to raise a family here. And my wife doesn’t want to move.”

McMahon said he considered applying for the Port-Saukville superintendent job three years ago when the district hired Dave Watkins but decided to wait because he felt he needed more experience.

He said he gained that experience working under Grafton School Supt. Jeff Nelson in his current position and is ready to lead a district of his own.

“I’ve been inspired by really talented superintendents,” McMahon, who is also a finalist for superintendent of the Neenah Joint School District, said. “This is the right time for me.”

Chosen by the School Board from a field of six semifinalists after two rounds of interviews last week, Juech and McMahon said they are aware of the struggles the Port-Saukville School District has had and the criticisms its leaders have faced regarding a lack of trust and transparency.

The key to moving forward, they said, is for the district’s next superintendent to foster open communication with parents, students, staff members and other district residents and become involved in the community.

“I want to make sure folks are comfortable picking up the phone and calling me,” Juech said. “They may not always like the answer I have for them, but I will answer their questions.

“To me, it’s about building relationships and connecting with people. It’s fun when you run into people at the grocery store and build those community connections.”

Referring to the number of people who attended Tuesday’s forum, McMahon said, “It shows you’re connected to the district. That’s the type of district I want to be part of.

“Every district has its struggles, but we address them quickly in Grafton.”

As assistant superintendent of operations, Juech’s responsibilities range from overseeing district finances to school safety in a district of about 6,000 students in Green Bay. He said he was tasked with explaining the need for a $100 million referendum to the residents of the Howard-Suamico School District, a measure that was approved because of connections the district built with the community.

McMahon noted that voters in the Grafton School District approved an $11.1 million dollar referendum last week that will allow the Grafton School District to expand its middle school to accommodate increasing enrollment. Key to the passage of that referendum, he said, was the ability of administrators to explain the need for it to the community.

“Being out in the community was really important,” McMahon said. “You can send out all the fliers you want, but if you’re not engaged with the community, it’s not going to pass.”

When asked about what the Port-Saukville School District can do to address flagging scores on its district report card, McMahon said that when he joined the Grafton School District in 2015 it was ranked 81st in Wisconsin on the state report card. Since then, the district has worked to improve its scores under the guidance of its strategic plan and today is consistently raked in the top 15 districts in the state.

“That wasn’t luck,” he said. “It’s not about creating another Grafton School District here. It’s about making Port Washington-Saukville better.”

Asked about how districts can attract and retain high-quality educators in the face of a national teacher shortage, Juech said the Howard-Suamico School District offers courses that allow high school students to work toward teaching degrees and is considering offering incentives for graduates to return to the district to teach.

McMahon said it’s important that employees know they are valued.

“Jeff Nelson meets with every new hire,” he said. “Every new hire would meet with me ... so they feel valued the very first time they walk through the door.”

McMahon began his career in education as a fourth-grade teacher and worked in the Chippewa Falls and Poynette school districts from 2006 to 2013. He served as a principal in Wausau for two years before coming to the Grafton School District in 2015 as principal of Woodview Elementary School. He became the district’s director of teaching and learning in 2021.

McMahon has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in educational professional development from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He also has an administrative degree from UW-Superior and a doctorate in educational leadership from Edgewood College in Madison.

Juech started his teaching career at John Long Middle School in Grafton and has taught fourth grade and served as a building administrator in other districts. He worked as director of teaching and learning in the Wilmot Union High School District before becoming superintendent of the Bristol School District. He has served as assistant superintendent of operations in the Howard-Suamico School District since 2020.

Juech has a bachelor’s degree in education from UW-Whitewater, a master’s degree in educational administration from Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon and a doctorate in educational leadership from Edgewood College.

The Port Washington-Saukville School Board was scheduled to interview Juech and McMahon and possibly name the district’s next superintendent pending contract negotiations on Wednesday.

The person picked for that position will succeed Interim Supt. Mel Nettesheim, who plans to return to her previous job in the district as director of business services and human resources, and begin work in the district on July 1.