WAUSAU − Nearly one year has passed since Cale Bushman was selected to be interim superintendent of the Wausau School District and tasked to lead the district through a long-debated school building consolidation project.
His appointment by the Wausau School Board came several months after the board voted to scrap a plan to combine the district’s two high schools and, instead, moved forward with planning to consolidate the district’s 13 elementary school buildings.
The board officially appointed Bushman to the leadership position in December, which was a little more than four years after recent consolidation planning efforts began and shortly after the end of a six-month citizen task force project. The task force produced a recommendation that the school board approved in December to close four elementary schools beginning with the 2025-26 school year.
As the district moves forward with planning efforts for the elementary consolidation and informing voters on an April funding referendum, Bushman spoke with a Wausau Daily Herald reporter about how he is approaching his new role and working to address long-standing concerns in the district.
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Who is Cale Bushman?
“First thing about me is that I’m a husband and a father,” Bushman said, before listing details of his over two decades of education experience. Bushman and his wife, Andrea, reside in the Wausau School District and his three daughters all attended district schools.
So far, working in education continues to run in the family as his eldest daughter is teaching math at Wausau East High School, his middle daughter is attending Winona State University with an intention to be a special education teacher, and his youngest is attending Wausau West High School.
Bushman was born and raised in Marshfield and graduated from Marshfield High School. He received his master’s degree in education from St. Mary’s University in Minnesota after receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He has completed some doctoral work but has yet to write a dissertation.
Where has Bushman worked so far in his career?
“I have been on both sides of the river,” Bushman said of his working time in Wausau. “I started off teaching on one side, then went to admin on the other then came back to admin on the other so I’m a river jumper, I guess.”
Bushman began his career in 2000 teaching special education in Sparta, before moving to teach special education at Wausau East High School in 2006. He served as assistant principal at Wausau West High School between 2010 and 2018, before leaving for a principal position at Eau Claire North High School.
Bushman returned to Wausau in 2020 to take the Wausau East High School principal position following Brad Peck’s retirement. He became director of pupil services in 2022, before being chosen to take over the superintendent role in March 2024 following Keith Hilts’ retirement.
“I am happy to be a servant in the big machine that helps provide great services and opportunities for kids,” Bushman said.
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What drew Bushman to a career in education?
“We get a chance to change lives every day,” Bushman said before describing the “power” and “magic” that fill a classroom. People have a chance to grow or regress with each interaction and “the best teachers have the best ways of making kids grow every day with every interaction,” Bushman said.
Teaching is the most powerful profession in the world, Bushman said, adding that amazing things can be accomplished through education.
“In a world where we continuously strive to help each other get better, I think great things happen,” Bushman said. As a leader in the district Bushman is able to model positive, encouraging behaviors and also encourage others to care about each other and help each other grow, he said.
How is Bushman working to address issues and conflicts in the Wausau School District?
Bushman said he aims to nurture “culture and connection” when asked what he is bringing to the superintendent role to address weaknesses and shortcomings in the district. Common feedback received from district residents during recent building consolidation efforts was a lack of communication and clarity on what decisions were made and why.
“When it comes to a positive culture that you have in a district, it’s not done with two or three big events, it’s done with thousands of events every day,” Bushman said. “The way that we treat each other and the trust development that occurs is something that is earned.”
Bushman is hopeful to continue building on the district’s culture to make it something district residents are proud of and will continue to want to be a part of and support.
“Relationships drive the world,” Bushman said. He encourages parents and community members to reach out to the district administration if they have questions or are unsure of something.
“We really want to develop the best product that we can and that includes taking in information and feedback and having great communication with all of our constituents,” Bushman said.
Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK – Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at epfantz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Bushman aims for ‘culture and connection’ as he leads Wausau Schools