As St. Paul Public Schools works to reach a new contract with its educators, the school board will now have to begin its search for a new superintendent.

Dr. Joe Gothard, SPPS’ current superintendent, will lead the Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin starting this summer, MMSD announced Monday.

The Madison Board of Education finalized the decision by approving Gothard’s contract during a work session Monday evening; he will take over as superintendent by July 1.

The move to Madison will be a homecoming for Gothard, who attended elementary through high school there. He went on to work at an elementary school in Madison before serving as principal at a middle school and a high school in the district, eventually becoming MMSD’s assistant superintendent of secondary schools.

“I eagerly anticipate reconnecting with familiar faces, while also building new relationships with staff, students, families, and partners who are dedicated to advancing MMSD’s excellence,” Gothard wrote in a statement. “Together, we will create a shared pride in our efforts to make MMSD the best it can be.” 

Gothard beat out two other finalists for the job: Mohamed Choudhury, the former state superintendent of schools at the Maryland State Department of Education; and Dr. Yvonne Stokes, superintendent at Hamilton Southeastern Schools in Indiana.

Gothard’s tenure with SPPS began in 2013, and he has served as superintendent since 2017. He helped navigate the school district through the COVID-19 pandemic, and most recently he was named Superintendent of the Year, both in Minnesota and nationally.

“Dr. Gothard has been a strong leader for SPPS, and we are grateful for his nearly seven years of service to this community,” Halla Henderson, chair of the SPPS Board of Education, said in a statement. “At the same time, we are excited he has the opportunity to continue his career and return to his hometown with his family.”

This comes the same day the St. Paul Federation of Educators announced it had submitted a 10-day strike notice. Teachers are set to go on the picket lines on March 11 if the union and school district don’t reach a deal by then.