Three Finalists Emerge for Southern Door Superintendent Position

The Southern Door School District campus, located in Brussels. File photo by Brett Kosmider.

The Southern Door County School District released the names of the three finalists for the superintendent position, one of those a current Southern Door principal.

The candidates are Brent Johnson, current principal of Thomas Jefferson School in Wausau; Kevin Krutzik, Sheboygan Falls High School Principal since 2018; and Marc Vandenhouten, current principal at Southern Door Elementary School.

With help from Colleen Timm, search consultant from Cooperative Educational Service Agency 7, the board and two groups of local stakeholders, including instructors, parents and district residents, conducted first-round interviews Feb. 5 and 7 of six candidates.

•Brent Johnson holds an Ed.S. in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Superior, a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration from the University of Phoenix, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with an Elementary Education Certification from Beloit College. While serving as principal in Wausau, his school earned the 2020 National Blue Ribbon Schools Award for exceptional student academic growth. Prior leadership roles include principal and assistant principal roles at the elementary and secondary levels. He began his career as a math teacher and math specialist.

The finalists will participate in the final round of interviews with the board and a stakeholder group on Monday, Feb. 12.

•Kevin Krutzik, an Ed.D. graduate in Educational Leadership from Edgewood College, also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Marquette University, a Master of Arts degree from Silver Lake College, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing/Business Administration from Lakeland University. 

During his time at Sheboygan falls, his school earned the No. 1 Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction school report card score in the Eastern Wisconsin Athletic Conference for four out of five

years. His experience includes roles as assistant principal and principal in various school districts, as well as a background in business and marketing analysis.

•Marc Vandenhouten, currently the principal at Southern Door Elementary School, is pursuing his superintendent certification from Edgewood College. With a Master of Arts in Education through Educational Technology from Marian University and a Bachelor of

Science degree in Elementary/Middle Education from UW-Oshkosh, Vandenhouten was a core team member of two successful Southern Door referendums (building and operational) during fall 2022. 

Vandenhouten’s leadership experience includes serving as principal of Little Chute Elementary School and St. Mary School in Luxemburg. He began his career in education as an elementary teacher in the Southern Door County and Kewaunee school districts.