Telluride School District

District 67's Schumacher Accepts Telluride Superintendent Position
Will start July 1 with R-1 School District in Colorado. 
By Jim Powers, lakeforrest.patch.com
April 4, 2011 

It's a good thing Kyle Schumacher likes to snow ski.

He will have an opportunity to hit the slopes with greater frequency after accepting the superintendent position with Telluride (Colo.) R-1 School District late last week.

Schumacher, who has spent 16 years with School District 67 in Lake Forest including the last five as assistant superintendent of educational services, will start July 1.

"I do like to ski, and now I will be able to go all the time," said Schumacher, who added he is no stranger to the Telluride area.

Schumacher said the Telluride School district's high academic standing coupled with the picturesque location was too good of a combination to turn down. The kindergarten through high school district serves 616 students in three schools. According to its website, Telluride High School has been awarded the 2010 John Irwin School of Excellence Award for Outstanding Academic Performance, while the middle school was also awarded the 2010 Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award for Outstanding Academic Performance.

"It's another high performing school district similar to Lake Forest, and that was attractive to me," he said. "It's going to be hard to leave. I've made a lot of friends here, so that part will be difficult."

Schumacher began his career in District 67 as assistant principal at then Deer Path Junior High and later became principal at Deer Path Middle School before assuming his current position.

"Becoming a superintendent is something I have aspired to and the timing presented itself to move now," he said.

Telluride Has New Superintendent
by Janine Mayfield, coloradoradio.com
April 1, 2011

The Telluride R-1 School District selected Kyle Schumacher of Lake Forest School District in Illinois as their next superintendent. Over 20 people applied for the position soon to be vacated by Mary Rubadeau.

Mary Rubadeau to Retire as Telluride Schools Superintendent
by Gus Jarvis Watch Newspapers
Nov 12, 2010

After 12 years as superintendent of the Telluride School District, Mary Rubadeau will retire from her post next June to pursue educational writing and consulting, as well as spending more time riding horses and embarking on sailing adventures with her family and friends.

Rubadeau notified the Telluride School Board of her intention to retire last spring, and on Friday, Nov. 5, Board President Banks Brown made the news public.

“I am really going to miss the everyday contact with kids,” Rubadeau said this week. “They are a lot of work, but they also give you a lot of energy back. I am going to miss that energy.”

Rubadeau will be leaving a legacy of high student achievement and a community-wide confidence and pride in the outstanding quality of educational programs offered in the school district.

According to Brown, the district has a high bar of student performance, which was accomplished by empowering the core element of teacher leadership and by promoting a culture of collaboration, high expectations and student engagement in learning. In 2008, Rubadeau was honored as the Colorado Superintendent of the Year, and Governor Bill Ritter delivered the 2008 commencement address in Telluride. Ritter focused on the continued outstanding achievements of Telluride students and the dual honors of having both the Superintendent of the Year and the Colorado Teacher of the Year, Seth Berg, hailing from the same school district.

Rubadeau and members of the school board have been talking extensively about how to carry on in that positive direction with a new superintendent at the helm, at the same time achieving the mission goals the school board has set.

“Our students are achieving at a high level right now,” Rubadeau said. “We want someone to pick up that high level of operating. They have to know instruction and they have to know the business and what drives that high level of achievement. On the other hand, they will have to have in-depth people skills to build relationships with the school board as well as the entire community. They also will have to work collaboratively with our teachers and support staff. It’s a complex job.”

Rubadeau said there is significant work ahead for whoever takes her position. While student enrollment is currently holding at a flat rate, she said that will eventually change, and that growth in enrollment will bring the need for more school facilities.

“If you believe in this community, you can bet that enrollment is going to increase,” she said. “It’s flat right now, but once the economy turns around there is going to be a need to build new classrooms. That will definitely be on the agenda.”

Perhaps the more pressing issue that the new superintendent will face almost immediately is a shrinking school district budget.

“That has been on my plate this year and whoever comes next is going to have to deal with it as well,” Rubadeau said. “Everybody is working harder and doing more, yet making the same amount of money. It’s a tough scenario, but I think that is going to be the case before things get better in terms of the economy.”

While budget cuts and belt tightening in the classrooms have made it tougher on teachers and support staff, it’s the dedication of the staff that makes the Telluride School District so successful. “The foundation for success in our district is the quality of the faculty, support staff, and resource personnel, and their incredible commitment to excellence and dedication to student learning,” Rubadeau said.

According to Brown, in addition to Rubadeau’s “stellar” record of student achievement, which has been recognized at both state and national levels, her accomplishments include: Leading the community through a process to design and build the magnificent Michael D. Palm Theatre and 12 intermediate school classrooms; tracking the real world success of her graduates and their personal wellbeing as indicated by high rates of college completion and a commitment to lifelong learning; a strong, focused and committed leadership team of administrators and teacher leaders who continually build and nurture a culture of student success; fiscal stability and strong reserves for the future; planning for and building affordable housing options for recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers; hiring and supporting world-class teachers; fostering a culture of innovation and creativity, and establishing strong personal relationships with students and their families while fostering progressive student leadership skills at the local and state level. Rubadeau organizes and leads a student leadership strand each year for over a hundred students from throughout Colorado in conjunction with the Colorado Association of School Boards Conference.

The school board has engaged the services of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, Ltd., to conduct a search for a new superintendent.

Telluride Garners Superintendent of the Year
-- Colorado Association of School Executive Press Release November 11, 2007

Mary Rubadeau, superintendent of the Telluride School District, is the 2008 Colorado Superintendent of the Year. Rubadeau's selection was announced by the Colorado Association of School Executive (CASE).

Superintendent since 1999, Rubadeau has had a major positive impact on the district and is recognized as a creative and innovative leader. She has established a personalized learning program where small groups of teachers with shared students meet frequently to focus on individual student achievement. This emphasis has resulted in strong student academic performance sustained over time. The program has been so successful, it's been adopted by other districts in the state.

Rubadeau has helped put this small resort district of 650 students in southwestern Colorado on the educational map - working with local agencies to provide affordable housing for teachers, developing a statewide student leadership program, and advocating for stronger state-level leadership.

Lynda Tueller, president of the Telluride Board of Education, nominated Rubadeau for the award noting that she has been "a tireless mentor to our staff, a committed child advocate, and a dynamic catalyst for profound change in public education on the state and national stage." Tueller added that "this remarkable superintendent" is held in high regard in the community and in the state.

Coincidentally, Telluride is also home to the 2008 Colorado Teacher of the Year, Seth Berg. Berg is a highschool math and science teacher. His selection was announced in October.

Originally from the East Coast, Rubadeau spent most of her education career in Alaska where she was a Principal and district administrator. She was previously superintendent in the Juneau School District from 1995-1999.

Rubadeau earned a bachelor's degree in education from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, and a master's degree in educational psychology from State University of New York in Albany.

Excellence in Education, Telluride's Teacher of the Year
--Colorado Department of Education Press Release September 26, 2008

The greatest influence to Seth’s classroom management style was Johnny Carson.  Seth says, “A performer needs an audience just as an audience needs a performance, and this relationship is equally applicable to teachers and students.” His teaching philosophy includes an atmosphere of playfulness and enjoyment for exploring intellectual ideas and abstract concepts, appreciating the power of the mind, the stimulation of curiosity, and the satisfaction of growth.  According to Mary Rubadeau, Superintendent of Telluride School District, “Seth inspires students by building relationships and setting high, clear standards for achievement.”

Seth also creates a close bond with colleagues.  Seth presents research-based “Best Practices” at faculty meetings and his colleagues are most appreciative.  He says, “Teachers are wary of “Ivory Tower” advice, but they trust me because I am “in the trenches” and my students’ accomplishments confirm that I must be doing something right.”  According to Peter Mueller, Principal at Telluride High School, “Seth works well with others because he focuses on how to teach students well – it’s not about ego for Seth, it’s about being the best educator one can be and that is why he has established himself as a truly remarkable educator.”