Her grandmother taught in a one-room schoolhouse. Her dad was on a school board. Two of her three siblings are educators. Dr. Teri Staloch always knew she wanted to be a teacher. She’s had a number of roles over the years including extensive work in Osseo Area Schools and then as superintendent at Prior Lake Savage Area Schools. She spent a few years in strategic planning, notably serving as administrative licensure coordinator at the University of Minnesota. Then Staloch missed being a superintendent.
The Robbinsdale Area Schools Board of Education unanimously chose Staloch for the district’s new superintendent for her “leadership experience, students-first decision-making, focus on collaboration, strong communication skills, and her dedication to ensuring a safe, inclusive, and welcoming learning environment for all students and staff.”
Staloch said she’d been looking for a place to “make a positive impact.” She added that Robbinsdale’s diversity attracted her to the place and that she hoped to give the district some stability. There have been a number of a different superintendents in the past few years.
Although she officially started July 1, Staloch was able to tour all the schools with Assistant Superintendent Marti Voight the day after being offered the job.
In her first official week, Staloch’s been learning all she can about the seven cities in the district. Staloch’s been partaking in Robbinsdale’s Whiz Bang Days, meeting with cabinet and board members and visiting the summer programs. A highlight was speaking to children in the Freedom Schools who told her how much they loved their friends and teachers.
“I have a huge desire to meet as many people as I possibly can,” Staloch said.
For Staloch, being a good superintendent comes down to teaching. Whether it’s the board, the principals, the teachers or the students and their families, Staloch strives to facilitate “equitable outcomes” for all.
“Even though historically we know public education has sorted kids and not provided equity and access, I still don’t know another place and opportunity – obviously besides families – for students to really be able to learn and grow and make mistakes and be support and loved, ultimately to reach their full potential,” Staloch said.
Staloch is eager to meet everyone in the district and get to know what they need.
“We have to focus and continue to focus on student learning,” Staloch said. “That means the achievement that they have. That means the learning environment. That means how we support staff with the tools that they need to serve a variety of needs of students really well.”
Staloch said another focus is fostering a “sense of belonging” for students.
This includes “making sure that there’s an inclusive feel in the building, making sure that they feel safe, that they feel respected for their culture, their race, their ethnicity, all of the unique traits and identities that students bring with them.”
To do that, it will require time. Staloch said it “won’t happen overnight.”
In addition to getting to know the community, Staloch hopes to share information about the district’s upcoming levy renewal. Voters in the school district are voting to renew a levy that has been in place since 2014. If approved, the renewed capital projects levy will provide about $7 million to the district in fiscal year 2025. The tax rate of 4.207% will not change.
About two-thirds of that will be used to continue the district’s technology plan and to maintain current investments, and about one-third will be used specifically on safety and security support and upgrades at the schools – such as security cameras, secure entrances, and other safety-related building modifications.
If the levy is not approved, the district will have to find a way to cut another $7 million from the budget.
Planning for the general fund, the district had to face $17.4 million in cuts. According to the district, the cuts are needed due to declining enrollment, expiring COVID-19 grant money, increases to labor contracts, significant inflationary costs to daily expenses as well as state funding that has not kept pace with inflation.
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