W-MU Community School District moving to shared superintendent position with Columbus Community Schools

WINFIELD - Beginning the following academic year, Jeff Maeder will not only be the superintendent for the Winfield-Mt. Union Community School District, but also the Columbus Community School District in Louisa County.

Maeder said the W-MU school board began discussing the possibility of moving to a shared superintendent position in February after receiving a letter from the Columbus Schools, who were seeking other districts who might also be interested in having a shared superintendent. Currently, the agreement set between the districts is a one-year agreement for a 60/40 split, with Maeder spending 60% of his time at W-MU.

'The agreement renews unless one or both boards decide to discontinue. So it's an ongoing one-year agreement,” Maeder explained.

As smaller districts, both with declining enrollment, the shared position would be a cost-saving move. Maeder added the transition to a shared superintendent is not new for the W-MU district, who has shared the position several times in the past.

The W-MU superintendent also said he feels well-suited for the job. Before moving to Winfield, Maeder served as a principal in the Columbus Community School District for seven years.

'I'm aware of some of the challenges that face both districts, so that's going to be a benefit going in,” he said.

The superintendent is looking forward to 'reconnecting and refamiliarizing” himself with the staff at Columbus. As for challenges he foresees, Maeder said he want to make sure he's maintaining the 60/40 time split between the districts.

'My goal is to this as smooth and still maintain the connections and community presence and visibility to the extent that it needs to be from a superintendent role at Winfield-Mt. Union and at Columbus. I'm one to believe it's important to be visible and available and accessible. Part of the challenges will be figuring out how to do that in both districts, and I believe I can do it,” Maeder added.