Northfield schools superintendent notches top honor

Matt Hillmann, who as superintendent of Northfield Public Schools has worked to close achievement gaps among students before they even enter kindergarten, has been named the 2023 Minnesota Superintendent of the Year.

The honor was announced Wednesday by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA).

"Dr. Hillmann has quickly emerged as a fierce leader and advocate for equity and student achievement not only within his district, but also across the entire state," said Deb Henton, the group's executive director, in a news release.

In addition to focusing on potential disparities among Northfield preschoolers, the school district under Hillmann's direction has set out to amplify the voices of Hispanic and American Indian parents, earning him a city human rights award in 2022.

In an email Thursday, Hillmann thanked MASA for helping him develop as a leader and praised school board members plus an "all-star team of teachers, staff and administrators" who he says are dedicated to preparing all students for lifelong success.

"Most importantly, we have the most engaged young people in the world!" he wrote. "Northfield is a special place."

Hillmann took the helm of the 3,900-student school system in 2016 after serving as its director of administrative services as well as director of human resources and technology. A former computer education teacher, Hillmann also served as a technology coordinator, dean and principal in the Belle Plaine school district.

According to the MASA release, every incoming kindergarten student who attended the Northfield district's child care center, Early Ventures, was deemed "ready for kindergarten" in 2021, under guidelines set by the state Department of Education.

The Northfield district also has been recognized for its early response to the pandemic.

The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, a national collaborative that seeks to ensure low-income third-graders are on track for success, invited districts to detail their reading strategies from May to December 2020. Northfield was one of 54 communities — the only one in Minnesota — to be identified as a "bright spot" for its COVID response.

This year, Northfield also was an early adopter of a "test-to-stay" approach to COVID that allowed unvaccinated students who were potentially exposed to the virus, and who otherwise would have to be quarantined, to remain in school.