Berglund leaves Ellis for ed consortium
Published 8:44 am Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Katie Berglund is resigning as principal of Ellis Middle School to become Principal-in-Residence of the University of Minnesota's College Readiness Consortium. -- Herald file photo
Ellis Middle School won’t just start the school year anew next month. Its students will have a new principal as well.
Ellis Principal Katie Berglund is leaving Austin Public Schools to work with the University of Minnesota’s College Readiness Consortium. As a Principal-in-Residence, she will work with 43 secondary schools across the state to implement the first wave of the Ramp Up to Readiness program. Since Ellis was one of eight pilot schools to test the program starting two years ago, Berglund has plenty of experience with the initiative.
“It’s very exciting,” Berglund said. “I very much believe in the work of College Readiness, and in increasing the number and diversity of Minnesota students attending and persisting in postsecondary education.”
Berglund has spent the past seven years in Austin as an administrator. She served as Banfield Elementary School principal before becoming Ellis Principal six years ago. During her time there, the middle school served as a hotbed of academic initiatives.
Middle school faculty introduced Grading for Learning, the grading system where students get a knowledge grade — worth 90 percent of their overall grade — and a life skills grade — worth 10 percent — two years ago after math teachers Curtis Bartlett and Eric Harder used the grading systems in their classrooms starting in 2008. Berglund appeared on Fox News Channel to discuss the initiative after the New York Times wrote about Ellis and Grading for Learning in 2010. Grading for Learning is expected to begin at Austin High School this year and could spread district-wide within the next several years.
In addition, Ellis students have learned to prepare for college through the Ramp Up to Readiness program. Also started two years ago, sixth-graders had a mandatory class where they learned about postsecondary education and how to prepare for classes after high school. Now, Berglund will assist other schools in implementing the U of M initiative.
“She’s done a tremendous job,” said Superintendent David Krenz. “The best decisions, and the best initiatives come from the ground, and that’s the staff and students. What a good administrator does is foster those opportunities and Katie did that.”
Berglund leaves the district as Austin principals are busy negotiating their next contract. The last Principals Working Agreement technically expired in July 2012, and the latest agreement will cover 2012 to 2014.
Human Resources Director Mary Burroughs said the district will begin interviewing candidates from within Austin Public Schools to replace Berglund, though it’s unclear when the district will have the position filled. Though Berglund did not give a concrete date when she is leaving, other Ellis administrators will carry out her duties if she leaves the district before school starts and district officials haven’t decided on her replacement.
Berglund and her family will still live in Austin, and she has many good things to say about the district and Ellis.
“It’s a great school district,” she said. “I have found [Ellis] to be an incredibly hard working and committed staff.”