The Prior Lake-Savage Area School District confirmed Friday that Superintendent Tom Westerhaus has decided to leave the school district when his contract expires in June 2008.

Westerhaus said Friday that he does not have another position in line at this time. He said he has been contacted by other school districts in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and he has considered out-of-education positions.

Westerhaus said he has not had job dissatisfaction working with the existing School Board and administration in District 719.

"I felt very blessed to have worked with this board," he said. He also lauded district staff for their work in education.

He said his dissatisfaction stemmed from some of the community's responses during the campaign and "the challenges to everything I've stood for and worked for in the district for the last six years."

Westerhaus directed an e-mail to colleagues within the school district Friday morning reflecting on his intent to announce leaving the district at the end of his contract.

The letter to staff reads as follows:

Colleagues:

It has been a tough week for all of us in the district, and I'm sure
you've thought that I have been noticeably silent about Tuesday's
election.  I've now had the chance to collect my thoughts and wanted to
express them to you before the end of this week so that we can start
anew next week (American Education Week!) with hope and optimism.

While I'm being criticized for sharing with the newspaper that I am
deeply saddened for this community and its children over the referendum
failure on Tuesday, I stand by those emotions.  It was a tremendous
setback for this district and for all of the many efforts we have made
over the past years to grow us into a premier school district with a
superior educational system for students.  While it will take at least
another year of making due with large class sizes, diminished programs,
space shortage, and less staff, I do believe this is a temporary setback
and that the district will survive and thrive again some day.
Unfortunately, it will not happen as soon as I had hoped.

I am also being criticized for what I did and did not do to ensure
passage of the referendum.  While I'm not exactly sure what else I could
have done, if in any way I contributed to the failure of this
referendum, I am truly sorry and apologize to you for that.  Perhaps I
am most guilty of providing too much information, something that I
always believed was more important to do than not providing enough
information.  Rest assured that we are reviewing what was done in this
election to learn for future elections.

The process of budget-cutting will soon unfold, and I know for certain
that process will not be easy.  Please bear with us as we address the
difficult task of balancing a budget with less general fund support from
the state than a majority of Minnesota districts. (A report I was given
from Schools For Equity in Education just 2 weeks before the election
placed us at 237th out of 339 school districts in the state for general
ed. revenues, $436 less than the state average.  Between that and our
growing student population, is it any wonder that we have negative fund
balances?)  While I cannot pretend that the cutting process will not be
painful, I will make every effort to communicate what's happening and
consider your input into reductions.  I will also work to make the
process humane and fair.

At next Tuesday's school board meeting (changed to the 13th due to
Veteran's Day), I will be announcing that I will be leaving the district
at the end of this school year when my current contract expires on June
30, 2008.  I have very much enjoyed the six years I have worked in this
rapidly growing district and had hoped to complete my educational career
in District 719.

However, with the school board election on Tuesday, I have decided I
can no longer work in this district.  The election to the board of a
former employee, whom I had progressively disciplined and ultimately
recommended for final dismissal from employment in our district last
summer, confirmed for me that it was time to move on.  The community has
spoken through this election, and therefore I will seek employment
elsewhere to more successfully continue my 35+  years in education.  I
want to make it absolutely clear that this resignation is NOT due to the
failed referendum.

While I still have several months to go in this district, I want to
take this opportunity to thank you for your support in my decision to
leave, as well as your support over the past 5 1/2 years. I will always
be appreciative of you and proud to call you my colleagues.  You do
outstanding work and no matter what happens in the ballot box or who is
your superintendent, your commitment to students and to one another will
continue to make the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District a great
place.  Thank you for that and for making me feel so welcomed and
appreciated in this district.

Best wishes,
Tom Westerhaus

 Joanna Miller can be reached at (952) 345-6375 or jmiller@swpub.com.