When Tremayne Clardy was a student, he probably got lots of good grades. Now that he’s running schools instead of studying in them, that hasn’t changed.
The Verona Area School District Board of Education voted 7-0 at its March 6 meeting to extend Clardy’s contract for two years, through June 30, 2025.
In a VASD news release, Board of Education president Meredith Stier Christensen said Clardy’s leadership “continues to exceed our expectations” since he joined the district in July 2021, succeeding long-time superintendent Dean Gorrell.
“During (Clardy’s) tenure, major accomplishments include collaborating with the board to implement a new governance model, supporting our scholars and educators by working to pass an operating referendum, and overseeing the development of the 2023-2028 Strategic Framework,” she said. “On a daily basis, he approaches interactions with students, families, and staff, with integrity and transparency.”
Stier Christensen said the unanimous vote is a “true indicator” that each board member supports Clardy’s continued leadership.
“Hiring, evaluating, and supervising the superintendent is the most important job of the board of education,” she said. “We execute this work with pride and we embrace our collaborative partnership with Dr. Clardy.”
The contract isn’t surprising, given the board’s stated praise last summer during Clardy’s year one review, in which the board gave him a “highly effective” rating, the best on the Wisconsin Superintendent Evaluation rubric. Following the closed session review at a board meeting last year, Stier Christensen termed the work Clardy accomplished as“beyond our expectations.”
“It is truly making a positive impact on student achievement,” she said. “(The highly effective rating) refers to deep, reflective understanding as evidenced by thorough application as VASD empowers their staff with a focus on continuous improvement,” according to a June 30 district news release.
Clardy is greatly appreciative of the Board of Education for extending the contract through 2025. He said the extension and continuation of leadership will allow for systems put in place over the last couple years to come to fruition.
When starting at the district, Clardy made a commitment that VASD would become a national model of excellence grounded in equity. He has approached this commitment by working to remove barriers that could interfere with student opportunities and ensuring systems and resources are in place that allow VASD to continue to grow.
For Clardy, equity never means lowering expectations – rather making sure there are no barriers so each student has the ability to be successful.
“We’ve set such high parameters of excellence because that’s what our community deserves,” Clardy said. “When you think about all the components of what it takes for a strong educational system to thrive – Verona Area School District has it – and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be the national model of what it means for excellence to be grounded in equity.”
Looking ahead, Clardy is very excited for the progress of the new strategic framework that will take place from 2023-2028, and the district will continue to work with staff and students to develop strategies to make key priority areas come to life.
And while Clardy’s contract extends to 2025, he plans on staying in the area “much longer than that.”
“I said it was a dream job when I got the job, and it continues to be that dream job,” he said. “I don’t even feel like I should call it a job – it’s a passion and a calling – and I’m in the perfect place to allow that calling to come to fruition. I feel very fortunate and blessed to be a part of this community and to be a leader of such a strong district.”
