Former WUHS teacher served as superintendent in Mineral Point
Former Waterford High School math teacher and coach Luke Francois has been named the next superintendent of the Waterford Union High School Distirct.
Francois, who spent seven years as superintendent and business manager in the Mineral Point School District and this year is serving as executive director of business services for the Sauk Prairie School District, will succeed longtime Superintendent Keith Brandstetter, who will retire at the end of the school year.
The last day for Brandstetter, who has been superintendent for 20 years, is June 30. Francois is slated to start on July 1, according to a news release issued by the WUHS School Board.
Francois is familiar with Waterford, having served as a mathematics teacher and wrestling coach at the school from 1994 through 1999. Francois also served as associate principal and athletic director at Middleton High School for seven years.
“We look forward to welcoming him and his family back to Waterford,” Board President Don Engler said in a statement. “It will be a pleasure to have someone who can continue to move the district forward with his knowledge, leadership skills, and personality.”
Francois stated, “I always believe that when you surround yourself with good people, good things will happen. I am excited to rejoin a great staff at Waterford Union in service to students and families throughout the Waterford community.”
Francois and wife, Tiffany a former teacher at Waterford in language arts from 1994 through 2000, have four children: Kennedy (11th grade), Lucas (eighth grade), Jacob (sixth grade), and Matthew (second grade).
According to the School Board:
- Upon Francois’ arrival to Mineral Point in 2011, he led the district to a successful $1.1 million recurring referendum for operations. In 2015, the district was recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for demonstrating high reading achievement growth for students with disabilities and Mineral Point moved to the top of the 2016 DPI state report cards, earning a five-star rating of significantly exceeding expectations in each of the next three years.
- Francois is a strong supporter of co-curricular activities, previously serving on the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control, as well as formerly serving on the Wisconsin School Music Association Board of Directors. In 2017, he was named a Master Educator Assessor by then-State Superintendent Tony Evers and is a past member of U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan’s Education Advisory Committee. Francoise was honored in 2017 by the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance as the Administrator of the Year.
- Francois is a graduate of Middleton High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education: mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where he also was an Academic All-American wrestler for the Warhawks. While serving as a mathematics teacher for nine years in two districts, Waterford Union High School and Middleton High School, he completed a masters of education degree from National Louis University in 1998 and a masters in educational administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2002. Most recently Francois received his doctorate in educational leadership from Edgewood College in 2013.
• Francois has completed certifications as a virtual school administrator, National Certified Master Athletic Administrator, and the Wisconsin School Leadership’s Academy. He is also a past president of the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association, and former president elect of the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association.
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