By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
Our Redeemer Lutheran School in Delavan had one principal and minister of education in its 33-year history until Jim Breytung retired at the end of the school year in June.
A new era began this week as Kristi Collins has taken over as principal. Associate Pastor Tim Ritter, who began at Our Redeemer in January, took over the title of minister of education and served on the call committee that recommended Collins to the congregation.
“It was nearly impossible to replace the person,” Ritter said about filling the position left vacant by Breytung’s retirement. “The position had to be filled, but we were not trying to find another Mr. Breytung.”
Ritter said Collins is extremely qualified for the position despite not having a degree in administration because of her extensive teaching experience that includes being named a master educator, something fewer than 1,000 teachers in Wisconsin can claim.
Collins, originally from Canada, has been a member of the Our Redeemer congregation for 20 years and all four of her children graduated from the day school.
“She was already passionate about our school,” Ritter said. “She did not need to come in and learn the school to get her feet on the ground.”
Ritter said he was not even sure why the congregation asked its district not once but twice for a list of possible candidates to consider when the chairman of the committee was the person the committee should be considering. Collins was originally in charge of the new principal search.
“It never crossed my mind,” Collins said about getting into administration.
Collins said someone in the congregation encouraged her to apply but she chose not to because, she said, being an administrator had just not been in her career plans.
Collins, 54, had worked at Brookwood Middle School teaching fifth grade for 11 years and fourth grade for two years before that. Collins also taught at Hope Lutheran School on the south side of Chicago for two years and Bethal Lutheran School on the north side for five years.
Collins graduated from Concordia-River Forest, earned her master’s degree and her National Board Certification in 2006 and got re-certified in 2015. Firmly entrenched and invested in teaching, Collins agreed to lead the call committee.
The committee considered 54 candidates before settling on someone who decided not to accept the call. The committee was back to square one. Collins said she was again encouraged to apply. She said she had a conversation with the Rev. Robert Rickman and asked what he thought. Rickman said he would pray about it. The committee considered another list of candidates and had trouble coming to a consensus about who to extend a call to. That, Collins said, was a sign to her that she was being called by God to apply for the position, so she did.
“It made me realize God was putting it on my heart,” she said.
Collins said she went back to Rickman and got his blessing, resigned as chairman of the committee and received complete support from the committee in its recommendation to the congregation.
“I have never been more at peace with a decision in my life,” Collins said.
Ritter said the committee was looking for someone who was passionate about Christian education and would be willing to do the leg work of reaching out to new families to grow the enrollment of the school. The committee was also looking for someone knowledgeable about new teaching techniques. He said Collins fit the bill.
Breytung said when he retired that the school needed someone who could promote the school well in the community. Collins said that skill is important in today’s educational environment. In the past, if families were not happy with the public schools, Collins said, the city’s parochial schools were the only other options. Today, with open enrollment, Our Redeemer has to compete for new enrollments.
“We have to show that we are worth their dollars,” Collins said. “We have to offer an exceptional education.”
Collins said she is well prepared to promote the school because she has experience in both public and private school education. Her passion for the school that comes from her love of the church and the experience of having her children all graduate from the school, will also help her promote it.
That love for the school and parochial education led Collins back to a ministry she never thought she would be in again after 13 years in public education. Collins said she took a pay cut to move from being a public school teacher to a private school principal, but she made the move because she felt she was called by God to do it.
Collins said she is very thankful to be back in the ministry because there are so many lost and broken people in the community. She said many times she wished she could offer more as a teacher when she saw someone in need, but in a public school setting it would not have been appropriate.
“I love to share the comfort of Christ,” she said.
Collins said one strength of Our Redeemer is that it is made up of like-minded people who are able to share the love of Christ daily. She also said the staff is full of hard-working, dedicated teachers who have done everything she has asked of them.
Collins said she will try her best to promote the school and continue the level of excellent education the school provides. Ritter said Collins has been working hard even before officially taking over the position to make the transition, and she has networked with many of the other principals in the city to see how they can work together. He said she met with some prospective new families and he believes some chose to come to Our Redeemer as a result.
Collins said she is very data-driven and a big believer in using technology in the classroom. She even invited Rickman’s daughter, Rachel Nelson, who serves as a technology integration specialist in the Texas Public School system, to give the teachers an inservice on technology.
Collins said it is too early to know what her style as an administrator will be, but she is sure she will not be a dictator. As a former teacher and parent, Collins said she feels like she knows what she would want from a principal from each of those perspectives.
As for new initiatives for the school, Collins said the school board wants to pursue accreditation, which she said demonstrates a badge of excellence in education. Collins said she agrees 100 percent with the idea and will lead the way toward the goal.
Collins will also bring Measures of Academic Progress, or MAP, testing to Our Redeemer that will measure student progress three times a year and identify gaps in curriculum and teaching practices. Collins said the testing will provide teachers with a ton of data that will better equip them to succeed.
Long-term goals include the effort to get accredited and increase enrollment from the current 137 students in pre-kindergarten to eighth grade.
“Change is hard,” she said. “I am only the second principal in the 33-year history of the school, and I want to make the transition an easy one.”
Collins said the congregation and staff have welcomed her well.
“They have been very supportive,” Collins said. “I could not be more confirmed in my decision. It was truly the right move.”
