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If you witnessed the Albert Lea school board meeting on Tuesday, it was clear there was a different feeling in the air, compared to recent months before and after the board parted ways with Superintendent Ron Wagner.

Interim Superintendent David Krenz, who previously worked for the Austin school district, gave an update near the start of the meeting about his first days in the district.
Krenz said he had been meeting with staff, administrators and school board members and was excited to see all of the good work taking place.

He also recognized two staff members recently nominated for an award, as well as two students who are receiving a prestigious award.

He stressed his belief in the importance of communication between himself and the board and staff.

It was an interesting update with relevant information, and Krenz was calm and genuine in his remarks.

From this initial interaction, we think Krenz will be a good fit for what the district needs in the interim period before a new full-time superintendent is hired.

He seems down to earth, yet professional, and communicates well, without appearing scripted in his remarks.

We also noticed a difference in the school board members during the Tuesday meeting.

It was nice to hear a little bit of camaraderie from the board members as they reflected on their recent participation in the Minnesota School Boards Association conference.

We’ll see how things unfold, but it seemed like a breath of fresh air.

The board was slated to meet Friday afternoon to begin defining the characteristics they would like to see in the next superintendent for the job posting.

We hope this is the beginning of a new direction for the district.