At Home At the Helm: Kelly Thompson Set to Lead Schools on Their Upward Course

With the Muskego-Norway School District in a solid position, don't expect any big changes with a new superintendent at the head of the class.

Kelly Thompson, who has served the district for 19 years in various roles, including coordinator of pupil services, high school associate principal, director of instruction and assistant superintendent, is focused more on continuing the improvement seen in the past five years.

"I'm very mission-driven, and I don't see our mission changing," she said. "It's just become so embedded, you see it everywhere, from teachers' classrooms to the hallways of all our schools."

"Every student learning, growing and succeeding" has become synonymous with the district, and Thompson said her focus will be on individualizing and personalizing education to serve each student.

Her goals include using screeners and intervention techniques to assist students with special needs and help close a nagging achievement gap in the district.

"I like working side by side to serve our students educationally, emotionally, and by supporting their families as well," she said.

Thompson met recently with the PTO presidents from all of the schools to help form more connections among the schools and their parents. It's part of her strategy to empower parents in the district to help shape its future.

"We really want input, through our forums, and when we reach out we use that information. It helps us design our next steps for the schools," she stressed.

Thompson has been married for 18 years, and has four children ranging from a fourth-grader to a sophomore in high school, and describes herself and her husband Dan as "hometown people." They met in school and married in 1984 and live in Hales Corners, where Dan helps manage the kids and the house.

She has several degrees and certificates from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, including a master's in educational psychology, certification licenses for superintendent, principal, director of instruction, and director of special education and pupil Services and a PhD in educational eadership.

The immediate future and goals for the district for Thompson include a continuation of the review of the 4K program, monitoring schools' progress through a district scorecard, and forming a group to tackle the strategic plan, which expires at the end of 2013, for the next five years.