New Prague finds another schools chief

For the second time in three years, New Prague will have a new superintendent this fall: Lakeville middle school Principal Craig Menozzi.

The district's top job has been, at times, a source of headaches and disagreement for the school board. Former Superintendent Frankie Poplau, a controversial figure in the community, resigned in April 2006, and three top replacement candidates turned down the job before the school board hired current Superintendent Jim Rouse as an interim replacement just weeks before fall classes started. Rouse, who worked hard to win a permanent position with the district last year, said in December that he wouldn't seek to renew his one-year contract in New Prague.

But "those kinds of things really didn't bother me," Menozzi said Wednesday. "I'm just going to dive into the situation and move ahead."

The board voted unanimously last week to offer the position to Menozzi, who has been principal at McGuire Middle School in Lakeville for the past 10 years. He will start work in New Prague, which has about 3,500 students, in July.

Applying for the top job was a natural step to take after 29 years as a coach, teacher and administrator in south-metro schools, said Menozzi, 51. "It just seemed like the right timing, and I felt like I still had the energy, passion and enthusiasm," he said.

School board members agreed, citing Menozzi's drive and preparedness as factors that set him apart from the other finalists for the job.

"He's fresh. He's got good ideas. He's very energetic, and he seems to know the community well, being from a neighboring district," said board member Marty Beckius.

Board member Dennis Havlicek said that Rouse "connected very well with the community, which was a major difference from the last superintendent, so I'll miss him. I think he was doing the best that he could."

Rouse said that his decision to leave was a combination of family, life and career issues, and that he's not sure what he'll do next.

When Menozzi takes the top job in July, he'll handle funding issues that are typical to most Minnesota school districts, but the housing market slump means he won't face the kind of rapid growth that New Prague has seen in recent years. And the school board, which has dealt with some "bad blood" between members sharply split over issues such as how to respond to that growth, isn't as divisive as it used to be, said board chairman Bob Reed.

"I think the board is working very well together, and the whole process of selecting a superintendent was indicative of that," said Reed.

"We're basically on the same page in terms of what we're looking for in terms of a school leader, and I think that says a lot about where we are as a board."