Mineau Selected As Next NFDL Superintendent

The School District of North Fond du Lac has selected Matt Mineau, a
longtime Appleton Area School District principal and former UW Marching Band assistant drum major and social studies teacher, to succeed Aaron Sadoff as NFDL Superintendent.

Mineau would start July 1, under a contract the Board will review at its meeting Monday.

In a press release issued Thursday(6/23/2022) Mineau said he was “excited to join the Oriole Nation” and “extremely honored” by the opportunity.
“I’m looking forward to partnering with the North Fond du Lac
community as together, we will ensure success for all our students – academically, emotionally, mentally and physically,” Mineau said.

NFDL Board President Steve Hock said Mineau was the Board’s unanimous choice among a field of excellent candidates. Board members hired Cooperative Educational Service Agency 6 to lead them through the search, hiring and onboarding.

“We were impressed with Matt’s proven abilities to build relationships and create a culture of positive engagement with students, staff and parents,” Hock said. “He is passionate about innovation and continuous improvement, and his charter school experience will be a great asset
as our district plans a high school expansion to our Treffert Way charter school. We are excited to welcome him.”

Mineau earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and then taught social studies at Brookfield Central High School and Green Bay Preble High School. In 2004, he moved into school administration as an Associate Principal
at Green Bay East High School.

In 2007 he left Green Bay to join the Appleton Area School District (AASD) where he has remained for the past 15 years. The first four years Mineau served as Principal of Tesla Engineering Charter School and Associate Principal of Appleton East High School; the last 11 years he has been Principal of Appleton East High School and Appleton eSchool.

He earned a Master of Education in Educational Leadership in 2004 and a Doctor of Education in Leadership, Learning and Service in 2018, both from Cardinal Stritch University.

Several Appleton administrators recommended Mineau, saying while they did not want to lose him, he would make an outstanding superintendent in North Fond du Lac.

“His capacity to build relationships and rapport is a true gift,” AASD Superintendent Judy Baseman wrote in a letter shared with the search team. “Matt has created meaningful opportunities for student, parent and community voices to be heard through various advisory groups or leadership teams.”

Mineau led efforts to improve student mental health, expanding the Sources of Strength program not only at Appleton East but at all three district high schools, Baseman said. He collaborated to create an Advisory Time program to address student needs for intervention and support, as well as help each student plan for the future. He promoted culturally restorative practices and led a shift to standard-based grading at the high
school.

During the pandemic he worked with fellow secondary principals to tackle learning challenges by adding graduation coaches, alternative scheduling options, credit recovery opportunities, and instructional coaches and interventionists.

“Innovation fuels Matt,” said Polly Vanden Boogaard, AASD Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, who added Mineau routinely collaborates with others on “how we do better, how we get creative and how we ‘think outside the box.'”

He also was touted for his ability to coach staff, many of whom have advanced to become school or district administrators. Mike Slowinski, whom Mineau once hired at Appleton East and will become Kaukauna Area Schools Superintendent in July said, “I am a better leader and educator because of the time I spent working with Matt.”

Matt Zimmerman, whom Mineau mentored as an elementary principal (he’s now AASD’s Assistant Superintendent for School Services), said Mineau was “student-centered, innovative, charismatic, and left me with the feeling that anything in education was possible.”

In his application for the position of NFDL superintendent, Mineau said he believes three things are most important to student success: “outrageous love, engaged learning and sense of belonging… My goal is to help each individual think, dream and reach his or her full potential.”