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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Kevin Abrahamson to be Ely's interim superintendent

Keith Vandervort
Posted 8/20/15

ELY – Ely School District directors filled the part-time interim superintendent position this week and hired Kevin Abrahamson. His first day on the job is Monday, Aug. 24.

Abrahamson, is a …

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Kevin Abrahamson to be Ely's interim superintendent

Posted

ELY – Ely School District directors filled the part-time interim superintendent position this week and hired Kevin Abrahamson. His first day on the job is Monday, Aug. 24.

Abrahamson, is a former employee of ISD 2142, where he served as principal, curriculum coordinator, assessment coordinator and technology coordinator. He also worked in Virginia and Duluth school districts as curriculum coordinator. He retired last year.

“I’m really excited to get started,” he said while traveling on Tuesday. “I know it will be a challenging position from the standpoint of learning about the district, but I am looking forward to working with the board and staff and all our stakeholders in charting a positive direction into the future for Ely Schools.”

Two candidates were interviewed Monday night. A third person applied for the position by the July 31 deadline but withdrew from consideration. Teresa Knife Chief, who was appointed acting superintendent after the resignation of Alexis Leitgeb in June, had interviewed for the interim superintendent position but withdrew her name from consideration following the board’s 3-2 vote to extend the application period and to eliminate the prior superintendent experience qualification.

Board members met late last week to consider the applications of two candidates.

The regular meeting on Aug. 10, as well as a special meeting on Aug. 6, were both canceled because a quorum was not available. At least four of six board members must be present at a meeting.

Gwen Carman, currently the Cook County School District Pre-K-12 principal, also interviewed for the position.

On a 5-1 vote, the board agreed to offer the part-time interim position to Abrahamson pending contract negotiations and reference checks. Director James Pointer voted against the motion.

The contract calls for Abrahamson to work at least 24 hours per week under a one-year contract that expires next July. He will be paid $4,500 per month plus a single-coverage health insurance premium reimbursement.

When asked why he is interested in the Ely position, he said, “I have to go back to third grade because that was the time I became aware of the fact that I wanted to go into education. I was going to be a teacher.”

He grew up in Orr and attended Rainy River Community College where he earned an Associate of Arts degree. He then attended the University of Minnesota, Duluth and earned a Bachelor’s degree in teaching. Later he received a Master of Science degree in Education from Bemidji State.

He taught for 17 years in the Win-E-Mac Schools in McIntosh. He worked with former Ely superintendent Don Langdon who planted the seed for Abrahamson to move into school administration. He worked for 15 years in the St. Louis County School District holding various principal positions.

“It was my goal to become a superintendent some day,” he said. Family elder care issues sidetracked him in that goal. “I found myself withdrawing from various positions I applied for because family was more important at that time,” he said.

He worked as curriculum coordinator in Duluth Public Schools in 2013-2014, and in Virginia Public Schools until last December, when he retired.

“From a purely personal and professional relationship, coming to Ely as your interim superintendent is on my bucket list,” he said. “I wanted to be a superintendent.”

Abrahamson described his management style “as hands-on as it needs to be.” He said he wants his subordinates to know that he “has their back and I hope they have mine.”

He looks to engage with his employees to keep them motivated and at a high level of morale. “I like to know if they have the job just to pay bills or if they are passionate about what they do. I hope to lead by example in those respects,” he said.

Despite a lack of experience as a superintendent, Abrahamson said he was responsible for the budget at his site as a principal in ISD 2142. “I have a particular affinity for budgets. I’m a stickler for budgetary controls. That was one of my strengths. My budgets were in the black,” he said.

He said his top priorities as Ely’s superintendent start with getting to know people as quickly as he can. “I need to be as visible as I can be in the limited amount of time that I will be here,” he said.

He plans to attend meetings of civic organizations and meet the community.

He also stressed the importance of getting up to speed in the district’s financial picture.

In addition, he wants to understand the academic picture of Ely students. “Where are we and how do we measure up,” he said. “And are we kid-centered.”

In term’s of being Ely’s next superintendent, he said, “I know this will be a challenge and without previous superintendent experience, it appears to be a long shot. I know on my own I can do the job but I will bring with me a network of some of the best superintendents I’ve worked with.”