White Bear Lake schools chief to retire on high note

With the district he's led for the past 15 years "on a roll," White Bear Lake Superintendent Ted Blaesing is retiring at the end of the school year.

He informed the school board and district staff on Monday that he will step down when his contract expires June 30. The district will begin the search for his replacement next week, with hopes of naming a successor in the spring.

Blaesing, 58, said the stress of leading levy referendum campaigns the past two years -- which he estimates took three-quarters of his time -- made him realize it was time to step down.

"It's a wonderful time for the district to go out and look for new leadership," he said. "The new superintendent is going to have an opportunity to really focus and do some things, besides going out and begging for money."

His successor will inherit a district in better financial shape than perhaps any other time in Blaesing's tenure. Sixty-three percent of voters approved a $12 million-per-year levy in November. That's a long ways from 1993, when Blaesing took over a district in statutory operating debt.

And while he said he reached his decision in October and would have stuck by it if the levy failed, the referendum's success made his departure easier.

"No matter how you try to distance yourself and not involve yourself personally, I would have felt horrible [leaving] if this had not passed," he said.

Praised by colleagues for his charisma and ability to develop his staff, Blaesing was named Minnesota Superintendent of the Year in 2000 by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. He has also served as president of the organization and took part in two Fulbright exchange programs, with Germany in 1998 and Japan in 2002.

"Ted honestly believes that you lead people by helping them determine the direction," said school board chairman Rolf Parsons. "He's a great coach and visionary, and he has a sense of where the organization should go."

The school board hired the search firm Hazard, Young and Attea on Monday to conduct the hunt for Blaesing's replacement. The board will meet with the firm next week.

The board intends to define what it is looking for in a new superintendent through a series of community meetings in January.

Blaesing plans to continue his consulting work, as well as teaching for universities and volunteering in the community. He also said he's looking forward to "a little more time with a fishing rod in my hand."

Whatever he does, it's clear the district will miss him.

"I would have loved to have a few more years of his service," Parsons said. "He's probably led the district through the most difficult years of its history, and he's done it with style and conviction."

Ben Goessling • 651-298-1546