New Richmond School District welcomes Kathy Feuerer

• Kathy Feuerer

Kathy Feuerer

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Kathy Feuerer doesn’t believe in labels – only learning.

“My passion is student learning,” she said. “I’m all about teaching and an individual student’s learning needs. The norm has become that you need to have a label to get help. I believe our job is just getting kids the education they need and not provide a label to get it.”

Feuerer, who comes to New Richmond after 14 years with the School District of Phillips, is taking over the role as the district’s director of special education. Sue Curtis, the former director of special education, will retire at the end of July.

Feuerer, a native of Park Falls, said she started in Phillips as a school social worker after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

She started as a social worker and eventually added the duties of assistant director of pupil services and discipline officer to her title. In 2007 she became the director of special education and pupil services at Phillips and in 2010 she added the director of instruction to her title.

“I’ve done a lot of things in Phillips,” she said. “I wore a lot of hats.”

Feuerer said she decided to leave Phillips because of the school’s growing financial issues.

“It’s through no fault of their own,” she said. “They have a declining enrollment and growing property values. The current formula just doesn’t work for school districts like Phillips.”

Feuerer’s husband, Paul, works as the athletic director for Phillips and will continue to do so for at least another year. He’ll stay in Phillips while their house is on the market and Kathy and their three kids will settle in New Richmond.

“It’s an adjustment,” she said. “This week the kids have been with him so it’s been different coming home to an empty house… or making dinner and dumping a whole box of pasta into the pot and realizing it’s just me.”

Feuerer said it’ll be different to live more than two hours from her husband, but it was the right move for her family.

“We knew that eventually one of us might need to jump ship first,” she said.

It’s only been a week, but Feuerer said she’s enjoying her time in New Richmond. An avid outdoorsman, she said she’s already been hiking at Willow River State Park and eaten at several local restaurants. She’s looking forward to celebrating Fun Fest with her kids.

“We’re really excited to be here,” she said. “There are a lot of neat things going on here.”

Tags: new richmond schools, education