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New principal chosen for McCook Elementary
McCOOK, Neb. — The search for the new principal at McCook Elementary went deeper than just skill sets but into character, according to McCook Public Schools Superintendent Grant Norgaard.
In addition to experience, “We were looking for traits,” said Superintendent Norgaard at the regular board meeting Monday night, “what drives him internally ... his purpose and mission of life.”
The McCook School Board unanimously approved Borland as principal Monday night. His starting salary will be $104,000. He will replace current McCook Elementary principal Tim Garcia, who has taken another position in Colorado.
A total of about 25 applied for the position with three selected for the interview process, said Norgaard. Out of the those, Greg Borland of Fremont, Neb., separated himself from the others, Norgaard said, and has a track record of success in a high poverty school.
The interview process was lengthy and included one with elementary teachers along with parents chosen by Garcia, Dennis Berry, former junior high principal and McCook High School students who were sitting in on the interview. The next interview was with other school principals, excluding Garcia and the special education director. The final one was with Norgaard himself.
Borland graduated from Midland Lutheran College in Fremont in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in education in K-12 physical education. In 2008, he received his masters in school administration from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
From 2001-2008, he taught PE at Clarmar Elementary School and Fremont Middle School (K-8) in Fremont. From 2008-2009, he was interim principal at Platteville Elementary School, K-5.
From 2009 to 2016, he was principal at Grant Elementary Fremont, supervising 29 staff members including certified paraprofessionals. From 2014 to present, he was principal at Linden Elementary (PreK-4), responsible for 45 staff members.
The board also approved four teaching contracts for next year, including those for Kay Meysenburg for Senior High Science, MHS grad Deon Allen for junior high social studies, Haley Montgomery for McCook Elementary and Sasha Burton for Central Resource.
All will be first-year teachers except for Burton, who is has been the special education teacher at Southwest Schools in Bartley, Neb. since 2013. Before that, she taught as a substitute teacher for area schools and started out teaching sixth grade at Lake Mahoney Elementary in North Platte, Neb. John Hanson, McCook Public Schools Special Education Director, said at Monday night’s meeting that parent’s of students who had Burton as a teacher spoke highly of her and that she was looking to get back to teaching elementary grades.
In addition to approving new hires, the board also accepted resignations from four teachers and one retirement.
Resignations came from Kali Blevins, who taught English at the high school for one year; Rachel Koller, McCook Elementary, one year; Mary Leisy, junior high science, three years and her husband Scott Leisy, PE teacher and girls basketball and golf coach. The Leisys’ said in their resignation letters they have accepted positions closer to family.
And after 34 years of teaching first grade at McCook Elementary, Denise Buddenberg submitted her retirement. Buddenberg said in her letter to the administration that “it seemed like the right time to retire...time to take a few more walks, time to smell a few more flowers, time to relax and just sit a bit more!”
Board president Tom Bredvick noted the many lives Buddenberg has touched throughout her teaching career.