Tony Duffek announced as new District Administrator

Tony Duffek, Principal of St. Germain Elementary School, has accepted the opportunity to serve as the new District Administrator for the Northland Pines School District for the 2026-27 school year.

Duffek has served as Principal of St. Germain Elementary School since he began working at Northland Pines in 2013. In addition, he began serving as Principal of the District’s newly established “Northland Pines Montessori Learning Center” in 2015. Duffek is the Lead Administrator who works with the Charter School Governance Board, which oversees the charter schools within the District.

Duffek will continue in his role as Principal for the 2025-26 school year; he will officially assume the role of District Administrator on July 1, 2026. Throughout the 2025-26 school year, Duffek will have opportunities to collaborate with current District Administrator Scott Foster, in addition to his Principal responsibilities. In the coming months, plans for Duffek’s replacement and other related transitions will be discussed.

The hiring process

On April 28, 2025, at the regular monthly board meeting, the Northland Pines Board of Education accepted the current District Administrator’s resignation, effective June 30, 2026. This gave the Board time to consider options and develop a plan for finding their next District Administrator.

At the next meeting, held on May 19, the Board discussed posting the vacancy to determine the interest level of internal candidates. Two highly qualified candidates, Tony Duffek, Principal of St. Germain and Northland Pines Montessori Learning Center, and Dr. Dan Marien, Middle and High School Principal, applied for the position.

At the June 30 meeting, the Board approved hiring the Wisconsin School Board Association (WASB) to assist them with the hiring process.

During July, multiple steps and meetings were held to prepare to interview the two candidates. On Wednesday, July 30, the candidates were interviewed by staff and the Board of Education.

Following the interviews, the Board of Education deliberated and unanimously voted 7-0 to offer the position of District Administrator to Tony Duffek.

“I am honored and excited to serve as the next District Administrator of the Northland Pines School District,” shared Duffek. “I look forward to building upon the District’s achievements and guiding it toward continued success. Having served as an administrator and being a part of the Northland Pines community for the past 12 years, I feel a deep sense of pride and commitment to our community, and I look forward to continuing to serve in this new capacity.”

Northland Pines School District serves approximately 1,290 students in grades 4K through 12 and over 200 staff members.