NEWS

John Muir principal leaves to lead Oconto Falls schools

Daily Herald Media and Oconto County Reporter
John Muir Middle School Principal Dean Hess was one of the members of Promoting Excellence For All: State Superintendent’s Task Force on Wisconsin’s Achievement Gap. He’s leaving the job to become superintendent of Oconto Falls schools.

WAUSAU – Dean Hess, the principal of John Muir Middle School, is leaving the position to become the superintendent of Oconto Falls schools.

"There's a lot of great things going on in Oconto Falls, similar to Wausau," Hess said. "The things they're focusing on I have experience in, such one-to-one technology and aligning with Common Core standards."

The Oconto Falls School Board approved hiring Hess at its May 11 meeting. He will succeed Dave Polashek, who is retiring after 23 years in Oconto Falls.

Hess' move to become a leader of a school district is not a surprising one. A year ago, he was one of two finalists vying to become superintendent of Sturgeon Bay schools.

Hess also has developed a statewide reputation for bolstering academic excellence during his tenure as the leader at John Muir. In 2014, he was tapped to be part of a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction task force that recommended best practices for educators to narrow the state's achievement gap.

Hess, 46, has been principal at John Muir Middle School for 10 years. Before that, he was assistant principal at Horace Mann Middle School in Wausau for seven years.

His first job after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point was as a middle school science teacher in Tri-County Schools in Plainfield.

Hess was also in ROTC during college, then served in the Army Reserve and National Guard for 20 years until retiring in 2007. He was deployed to Iraq where he flew Blackhawk helicopters.

Hess starts work on July 1. His salary was set at $140,000.