Board

OKs hiring

of NUHS

principal

By KEVIN SWEENEY

Journal Editor

NEW ULM -- The District 88 Board of Education made it official Thursday, hiring Mark Bergmann as the New Ulm High School principal.

Bergmann, 41, is currently principal of Murray County Central High School in Slayton, a school approximately half the size of NUHS. Bergmann has been principal at Murray County Central High School since 1996. He has worked at that school since 1993. Murray County Central has about 430 students in grades 7-12. Slayton is a community of about 2,300 people.

Bergmann will replace principal, Richard LaPatka, who is retiring this year. He will receive a salary of $79,500 annually, down from LaPatka's salary of approximately $82,900. He officially starts his duties on July 1, but he has already been in the district. He will be involved in the screening and interviewing process for hiring a new assistant high school principal to replace Dave Schmidt, who is also retiring.

Superintendent Harold Remme said the district has had 63 applicants for the assistant high principal's job. The committee is narrowing the candidates down to about 20. The district hopes to conduct interviews of the finalists on May 28 and 29.

Bergmann's contract matches the other district principal contracts. Among the benefits are full family medical coverage, and access to long-term disability and group life insurance coverage.

Principals earn two vacation days per month and can accumulate 24 days to use during the next school year.

In other business, the district approved an appropriation of $15,525 from its Community Education Fund for the Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth program.

The board also agreed to eliminate the position of Community Education secretary/receptionist at the end of the current school year as a cost-cutting measure.