Pop Quiz for Mr. Wagner
A few questions for the outgoing superintendent after 45 years in education:
What was your favorite part of your job?
“My most favorite part, every year, is graduation. That’s what you work for, to see these kids achieve that milestone in their lives – 13 years of day-in and day-out work, and all the obstacles they face. To see them walk that stage and see the smiles on their faces and the smiles on their parents’ faces, that’s what makes everything worthwhile.” (By the way, Wagner made it his entire 24-year stint as high school principal without a graduation rain out. Shortly after he became principal, he decided to move the ceremony from inside the auditorium to the football field).
What is your least favorite part of the job?
“Paperwork, it’s endless. It takes a lot of time. As a superintendent, everything you do, you have to document, and it has to be right, and the buck stops here.”
What are you most looking forward to in retirement?
“Working at the farm out in Swiss Alp. We have a lot of goals we’ve talked about wanting to get done there. We have a guesthouse there. We rent it out, and we took our old hay barn and made it into a small venue. Both Terri and I, being history teachers, we love being able to refurbish something old.”
What is your favorite spot on an LGISD campus?
“My favorite spot is driving up the new elementary school. To me that’s the crown jewel of the district, that massive structure, and it’s nice to know you had a small part in bring that to fruition. I’m so pleased the community saw a need by passing the bond in 2017.”
What accomplishment are you most proud of during your time as superintendent?
“I’d say the construction the new elementary school and the renovation of the other facilities, like the Norma Webb Center (old hospital), the Performing Arts Center (old auditorium) and being able to expand the band hall.”
Any projects/initiatives you are sad were not accomplished during your time with LGISD?
“Not being able to repurpose and reuse the old two story high school building. That’s such a beautiful building, It’s so stately. To me it was the central focus of education in this community for so many years ... The school opened in 1923. It will be 100 years old next year .... There are some historic items stored there and there’s a group that their goal is to try to use it as a museum. Right now it’s just being used for custodial storage.”
Advice to successor Andy McHazlett?
“To just be himself. He told me he’s leaving La Pryor, which was his home, to come to the only other place he considered home. I’d tell him to embrace the people here and embrace the kids. This is a unique community and we have a special quality of life here.”
What’s the biggest thing that’s changed about education since you started 45 years ago?
“The demands put on education at the state level. We keep getting more and more piled on us, but nothing is taken away.”
What hasn’t changed about education in 45 years?
“The needs of kids. Kids are kids. They want to know you care about them. Situations have changed for kids. We hear about the negativity of kids these day, but deep down they just want to be loved. They love the relationships they build with teachers. That’s what education is about.”
– Jeff Wick