MADISON, Wis. — The next superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School District introduced himself to the community Thursday.

What You Need To Know

  • Joe Gothard will be Madison's fourth superintendent in five years

  • The Madison native currently leads St. Paul Public Schools

  • He said he wants to focus on open communication with the community
  • His first day is May 20 

Joe Gothard is currently the superintendent of St. Paul Public Schools. Returning to Madison is a homecoming for him. He was an MMSD student, then a teacher, principal and coach, and an MMSD parent.

“Being a Madisonian, pride is really important to me,” Gothard said at an event Thursday. “I don’t mean being proud of myself. I’m proud of Madison.”

He said he wants to prioritize community relationships with the school district.

“Engagement is about how do we put information at the center? And how do we interact around it? If it’s a problem, how are we going to solve it? Not how am I going to, how are we going to? How are we going to solve it together?” he said.

Fifth-grader Preston Pickens said he liked that answer.

“He has a lot of love in his heart for MMSD, especially because that’s his home,” Pickens said.

At the press conference, students from Thoreau Elementary got to put Gothard in the hot seat.

Sammy Mack, who’s in fourth grade, asked why he decided to come back to Madison now when there were other opportunities.

“Some of you know that Madison has had some superintendent openings since I’ve left,” he said. “But this time is different.”

One of the district’s biggest challenges is the opportunity gap, which is pervasive across Wisconsin. State test results show in 2022, white students scored from 16% to 37% percent better than their Black peers.

Previous superintendents have tried to tackle this problem. Then, the pandemic widened the gap.

“We’ve got to be very open with our community about where our challenges are, report frequently about progress that we’re making, and not be afraid at all to say we’re not making the mark here,” Gothard said. “A first-year superintendent that might be really hard to do. I have no problem saying that this didn’t meet the mark. Community, you deserve better. Sudents, you deserve better. We have to do something different.”

Gothard’s first day is May 20.

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