Dr. Albrecht to step down as administrator at Wauzeka-Steuben

By Steve Van Kooten

At the end of the 2024–25 school year, Interim District Administrator Dr. Gary Albrecht will bring his time at Wauzeka-Steuben to an end.  He has served the district for five years.

"I think it's time to turn the page, start a new chapter and for the district to build on what we've accomplished."

 Albrecht worked with the district on two different occasions: from early 2018 to late 2019 and returned to the district in 2022.

But when Albrecht started his career in the late 70s, he did not plan to work in school administration.

"The first 18 years I was teaching music," he said.

The Two Rivers native earned his bachelor's degree and began teaching music at LeRoy-Ostrander (Minnesota) School District in 1977. He continued working as a band teacher in two Wisconsin districts and with the University of Wisconsin-Madison for two years. Albrecht also earned two master's degrees in music education (1980) and educational administration (1993) and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction (1993) from UW-Madison.

"I had no interest in administration. In fact, I comparatively went in pretty late," said Albrecht. "I was planning on teaching music at a college."

 At nearly 40 years old, he moved back to Madison to pursue a career as a college music instructor. 

"I was a graduate assistant at UW-Madison," he said. "That was an important part of my growth. I was working various jobs at the university. For two years, I directed one of the concert bands. I also supervised student teachers one year, so I had teachers in 12 to 14 different schools from Milwaukee over to Madison. This position provided the opportunity to visit several schools with a variety of student teachers, cooperating teachers and differing school systems. I had two years of intense, full-time, on-campus experiences."

 The variety of experiences with different school systems led his advisor to suggest an administrative career path.

“If I began a new career teaching music at a university, it would be at an entry level status despite my previous eighteen years of experience,’” Albrecht recalled.  “So I started thinking, ‘Yeah, I might be able to do that administration career path.’”

Albrecht took his first administrative job as an associate principal in the Oregon (Wisconsin) School District. He later worked as an elementary principal, K-12 strategies consultant, district administrator at various small-to-medium school campuses and as a CESA Statewide Network liaison throughout a career that has spanned nearly 50 years. 

His time at Wauzeka-Steuben began through an acquaintance who was also a school district attorney.

 "A few months after I retired, he called me up and said, 'Gary, I have a district that needs some help; are you interested?' And, at that time, I said I didn't think I was interested. I went in to talk to him, and I did get excited about getting into a small district because that's a place where you can make a difference as a leader," he said.

Albrecht served the district as an interim administrator, which allowed him a different approach to the district's obstacles.

"When you come in as an interim, typically your main job is just to settle things down and work with the board and staff to get the district in a planning and reflective mode," said Albrecht.

 When he first arrived, the district faced several challenges, including an impending operating referendum, staff cuts and turnover, and needed facility improvements. Albrecht's job was "pulling together" the district's administration, school board, faculty and staff to operate as a team. 

Being a school administrator is a difficult job; it requires thick skin and a judicious tongue. But it also provides an opportunity to make change and to reinforce the things that work well, like the school/community culture.

"In Wauzeka, there's this magnificent sense of community. There are families that have been here for a few generations, so we don't have such a strong influence of kids moving in and out of the district," he said. "When it changes that fast, it's harder to develop continuity. I think you can sense the family and community support for the school because their grandparents and their parents grew up in Wauzeka. People are supportive, but they expect us to do a good job."

 He continued, "I think people feel better about a small school with a healthy culture. I think that's what people are really interested in, getting into a school that has a positively controlled environment. All of those cultural things are important to the mix."

In the past few years, the school district has seen quite a bit of success, including in the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's student achievement and growth metrics, student performance and financial planning. For the past two years, the district has received several accolades from DPI, CESA and other organizations that measure and evaluate school performance.

 As the end of another school year approaches, Albrecht said he has not decided what he will do next. But like many skilled hands, he follows the "never say never" credo.

"Right now, I'm not looking for anything specific, but I feel like I have some gas in the tank, so if something turns up where people need help, I may be interested," he said.

Albrecht concluded by saying that he was appreciative and thankful for his time at Wauzeka-Steuben.