Assistants are only candidates for Port High principal job

Port Washington High School’s two assistant principals have applied to replace Eric Burke as the school’s top administrator, Port Washington-Saukville School Supt. Michael Weber said Wednesday.

Dan Solorzano, who also serves as dean of students, and Thad Gabrielse, who is Port High’s athletic director, will be interviewed by a 16-member committee next week. They are the only district staff members to apply for the job, which has only been posted internally. 

The committee has the option of recommending either Solorzano or Gabrielse for the Port High principal job or deciding to  seek candidates from outside of the district.

Burke, who has been a student, teacher, coach and principal at Port High, is leaving to become the superintendent of the Rhinelander School District.

He is not the only principal in the district who is resigning for a job elsewhere.

Just two weeks after accepting Burke’s resignation, the board on Monday accepted the resignation of Saukville Elementary School Principal Chad Brakke pending his letter of resignation, which is expected later this week. Brakke signed a contract Tuesday night to become the superintendent of the Cedar Grove-Belgium District.

Burke and Brakke begin their new jobs on July 1.

Comparing Supt. Michael Weber and other Port Washington-Saukville School District leaders to Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots coach known for developing assistants who are in demand as head coaches, school board member Aaron Paulin praised the district for developing a new rookie class of superintendents.

“I realize this is tough for us (replacing Burke and Brakke), but knowing that they are moving up the ladder says a lot about our coaching team,” Paulin said. “I think it says a lot about Mike (Weber) and our board, and it’s great for our district to be able to say, ‘Look what sort of talent we’re putting out there.’”

Weber said last month that as a mentor to other administrators it is his job to identify and inspire the next generation of administrators.

“About seven years ago, I encouraged four of our administrators to get their superintendent licenses and maybe earn their Ph.D.s,” he said. “When you see individuals with the potential and the drive to further their careers by becoming superintendents, you encourage that.”

Weber said he benefitted from that philosophy when, as the director of special education for the Sheboygan Area School District, he was encouraged by the district’s superintendent at the time, George Longo, to become a superintendent.

“I realize it’s kind of a two-edged sword,” Weber said. “You don’t want to lose talented people, but there’s a shortage of superintendents, and I have a more global perspective on education.”

Of the administrators other than Burke and Brakke who Weber encouraged to pursue careers as superintendents, Dunwiddie Elementary School Principal Diane Johnson resigned in 2016 to become superintendent of the Birchwood School District in northwestern Wisconsin. 

Duane Woelfel, a former Port High principal who now is the district’s director of special education, “has found opportunities to grow within the district,” Weber said.