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HLP School Board Approves Administrative, Superintendent Changes

November 19, 2024 Steve Schwaller

(Lake Park)– The Harris-Lake Park School Board Monday evening approved some changes in administrative positions that will be effective at the start of the 2025-2026 school year. Current Superintendent Gary Richardson will be stepping down effective June 30th, 2025. Under the changes approved Monday evening, Mike Thompson, who currently serves as Elementary Principal, will become Superintendent at that point and Greg Hiemstra, current middle school-high school Principal, will become Pk-12 Director of Teaching and learning. Richardson says the board put a lot of consideration into the administrative re-structuring…

“Well I think that it’s increasingly hard to get good people in upper level management positions. It doesn’t matter if it’s education, or the business world or the clergy. There are just not as many people going out. We have qualified individuals right here. One, Mr. Thompson, who will have is superintendent endorsement, so living in the district, being full time I think is a real benefit to the community and the school district. And going with the strengths of who we have on staff. Mr. Hiemstra is Director of Teaching and Learning for k-12 is something that he’s very good at and passionate about and it gives him an opportunity to use those skills in a different capacity. We will be also interviewing for two half-time assistant principals that would assist each one of those as they oversee their independent buildings.”

Even though he’ll be stepping down as Superintendent at the end of the current school year, Richardson says he’ll continue to advise the board on matters related to the construction of the new elementary and improvements to the middle school-high school.

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