School District of Superior

A Dynamic School District on the Rise

Offering an Expert Strategy for Educational Excellence Through Partnerships and Community Investment.

Seven years ago, the School District of Superior was among the bottom 5% in state wide graduation rates. Today, that same district boasts a 98% graduation rate and serves as a model for educational transformation across the state.

“Our vision is to become the leading district where education and community come together for student excellence,” says Dr. Amy Starzecki, who has overseen this remarkable turnaround as district superintendent. “We were very intentional about putting the words ‘leading district’ in our vision. Historically, the School District of Superior has been a leader across the state of Wisconsin when it comes to implementing best practices and making significant gains in different areas like our graduation rates.”

In a city of 26,423 residents where 45.8% of the district’s 3,900 students  qualify as economically disadvantaged, Superior has become Wisconsin’s 23rd largest school district and one of Douglas County’s major employers. Dr. Starzecki emphasizes that success stems from the district’s core mission: “Ensuring a superior experience, empowering every student for life.”

The district’s approach centers on measurable outcomes rather than aspirational language. During the 2017-18 school year, where once only one Superior school earned “exceeding” status on Wisconsin’s state report card, at least four schools now consistently achieve this rating. The dramatic shift positions Superior as a case study in systematic educational reform, proving how focused leadership and community engagement can reverse decades of underperformance in public education.

Academic Achievement and Closing Gaps

Wisconsin’s educational landscape reveals distinct disparities, with less than half of students meeting proficiency standards in math and reading statewide. Superior’s journey to educational leader illustrates how targeted interventions can transform student outcomes across demographic lines.

When Dr. Starzecki arrived seven years ago, the district faced multiple challenges. “We were some of the lowest in the state of Wisconsin, and in the last seven years, we are now at 98% graduation rates, and we’ve sustained that over multiple years,” she explains. “We are now well above the state average when we look at our graduation rates.”

The transformation also addressed Wisconsin’s persistent achievement gaps. Dr. Starzecki’s team focused specifically on historically underserved populations. “We’ve looked at increasing our achievement rates by specifically looking at students with disabilities and students living in poverty and students of color, and what are some of the barriers they’re experiencing,” she says. “How do we remove some of those barriers and what are some strategies we need to do to increase engagement?”

Attendance became a crucial lever for change. The district’s middle school experienced chronic truancy rates that undermined learning across all student groups. “We’ve dropped significantly at our middle school with chronic truancy, which is obviously an indicator of student engagement,” Dr. Starzecki notes. “We’re doing some real intentional work around attendance, recognizing that we need our kids in schools if we’re going to address achievement.”

Current data shows room for continued growth, with 39% of elementary students reaching proficiency in reading and math. Dr. Starzecki has established clear targets: “Our primary goal area for the next five years is to continue to increase the number of students proficient in reading and math.”

Community Partnerships and Support

Superior’s strategic location at the head of Lake Superior, with its network of highway, rail, air, and seaway transportation options, has historically supported manufacturing and industry throughout Douglas County. This economic foundation now serves as a launching pad for innovative educational partnerships.

Dr. Starzecki leverages the community’s business infrastructure through formal leadership roles. “As a part of the Chamber of Commerce, the bylaws indicate that the superintendent sits on the board of directors,” she explains. “I’m fortunate to be on the board of directors for the Chamber of Commerce in Superior in Douglas County. That has helped us to build really strong relationships within our superior community.”

The financial impact of these relationships proves substantial. The district has implemented creative funding strategies to supplement state and federal revenue. “We have a very supportive business and community base, financially supportive. In recent years, we have put together a sponsorship and naming rights process,” Dr. Starzecki says. “We’ve been able to secure over a half million dollars in the last year and a half or so just in naming rights and sponsorships.”

Major corporate commitments amplify these efforts. The National Bank of Commerce made a transformative investment in the district’s infrastructure. “We had a $1.4 million donation from the National Bank of Commerce here that they made a significant commitment, a long-term commitment to our district to help support some of our athletic complexes, our gymnasium, and our outside facility, which is huge,” Dr. Starzecki notes.

The partnerships also cover essential services that remove barriers for families. “We’ve been able to expand over the years the number of mental health partnerships, so students have access to therapy services, and those therapists and mental health agencies can come right into our schools.”

Teacher Retention and Professional Development

While teacher shortages affect districts across the United States and Canada, Superior has bucked the trend through strategic investments in workplace culture and professional growth. With 100% licensed teachers and a 14:1 student-to-teacher ratio below the state average, the district shows how intentional leadership can attract and retain quality educators.

Dr. Starzecki prioritizes creating an environment where educators want to build careers. “I am very intentional, and I take a lot of pride in creating a school district where people want to come to when it comes to creating a positive school environment where they feel supported by district leaders like myself,” she explains. “They feel supported by their principals, and we have a strong administrative team, and they also have the resources they need to do their job.”

Technology investments preceded COVID-19, positioning the district advantageously during remote learning transitions. “We’ve made a conscious effort in several years, even before COVID, that we were going to commit that all classrooms would have certain devices and access to certain tools for technology,” Dr. Starzecki says. “Making sure teachers have the equipment they need.”

Collaborative leadership distinguishes Superior’s approach from traditional top-down management. “We have lots of teacher leaders that participate in helping us grow as a school district. They help us identify areas of strength, areas for growth. They help, they’re on our continuous improvement teams at each of our buildings,” she notes.

Special education remains the district’s primary staffing challenge. When budget cuts forced layoffs, Superior responded creatively. “We offered for people who were willing and wanted to go back to school, get their special ed license and to fill some jobs that we were unable to fill,” Dr. Starzecki explains. The district’s three-year mentorship program supports new hires through extended professional development.

Fiscal Responsibility and Strategic Investments

Wisconsin school districts need to maximize educational outcomes while managing constrained budgets, with per-pupil spending averaging $13,511 across the state. Superior’s approach combines long-term infrastructure planning with targeted investments in proven educational strategies, earning recognition for fiscal stewardship within the community.

The district’s most significant financial undertaking points to voter confidence in leadership. “In 2016, our community passed one of the largest capital referendums in the history of Wisconsin at 92 and a half million dollars to build a new elementary school and we’ve updated our high school that needed upgrades,” Dr. Starzecki explains. “However, all of our buildings got some upgrades.”

Strategic facility management also covers the value of taxpayer investments. “We’ve continued to maintain a long range facility plan to make sure that our facilities stay well maintained and that we make sure that the dollars our taxpayers have invested in those buildings are well used and can be maintained over a long period of time, so we don’t have to come back to them for a long time,” she says.

Personnel investments utilize evidence-based priorities rather than administrative preferences. Dr. Starzecki emphasizes classroom fundamentals: “We continue to maintain low class sizes. We know that low class sizes are a key strategy for districts, for schools and teachers to build those strong relationships with each of our students.”

Meanwhile, support staff allocation targets student needs directly. “We’ve also made sure that we’ve invested in things like making sure we have counselors in all of our schools, we have reading interventionists at our elementary buildings,” she notes. “As our budgets have gotten tighter, we’ve continued to prioritize those areas.”

Career Planning and Technology Integration

Northern Wisconsin’s educational attainment rate of 38% trails the state average of 53%, creating workforce development challenges for local employers in manufacturing, healthcare, and retail sectors. Superior addresses this gap through comprehensive career preparation that begins in elementary school and augmented through strategic partnerships with higher education institutions.

The district implements systematic career exploration across all grade levels. “We do start that conversation at the elementary level as part of academic and career planning work in our district. We call it a scope and sequence, so it’s some expected lessons and conversations that we have across all of our grade levels, K through 12,” Dr. Starzecki explains.

Superior’s unique graduation requirement distinguishes it from traditional academic programs. “We have students who are required to complete a senior project, and that begins actually their ninth grade year. They need to start thinking about what they want to do after high school, what career path are they thinking about and what courses they need to take in high school to make that happen,” she says.

Technology infrastructure supports these career-focused initiatives. All students receive laptops in the district’s one-to-one program, with high schoolers taking devices home while younger students use them at school. “We had a one-to-one in place prior to COVID, and so it was very easy for us to pivot during COVID to switch to virtual learning because we did have that investment in those devices,” Dr. Starzecki notes.

Nevertheless, artificial intelligence integration proceeds cautiously. “Our Future Ready Team has been looking into AI and how we utilize AI and leverage it and help our students find success in using those tools. That team has been taking it very slowly because we want to do it well, and it changes so quickly.”

On to the Next Chapter of Excellence

Superior’s transformation to state leader positions the district to tackle increasingly sophisticated challenges around college and career readiness in a competitive global marketplace.

Dr. Starzecki’s background includes multiple educational roles, from school psychologist and special educator to principal and assistant superintendent. This comprehensive experience informs her perspective on systemic change. “What’s most rewarding is when the hard work that we put in every day begins to be recognized at the community or at a broader level,” she reflects. “We’ve worked really hard to build capacity with our staff, but also to have a great impact on our student population.”

Leadership philosophy emphasizes collective responsibility rather than individual achievement. “My job is to create a goal and inspire people to meet that goal. It’s really the work of our staff, whether it’s a bus driver who greets a student in the morning and sets the tone for the day, or if it’s a principal or a teacher,” Dr. Starzecki explains. “All of our adults in the school district have a role to play in creating really strong relationships with our kids so they feel success and they can learn the best.”

The district’s next phase targets qualitative improvements over quantitative metrics. “Our priorities for the last five years were really looking at graduation rates and making sure every student graduates from Superior High School. Now, we have shifted from not just every student graduates, but they need to graduate college career and life ready,” she says. “For me, that means that all students are proficient in reading and math.”

Superior’s journey continues to prove that sustained leadership, community partnerships, and strategic investments can transform educational outcomes, offering a roadmap for districts nationwide seeking similar results.

AT A GLANCE

Who: School District of Superior

What: Wisconsin’s 23rd largest public school district serving over 3,900 students across 7 schools.

Where: Superior, Wisconsin

Website: superior.k12.wi.us