×

Denny Waloch exits school board after 10 years

“It is quite an accomplishment to serve on any school board in Minnesota for more than 10 years”

Denny Waloch holds up his name plate following his final District 88 school board meeting.

NEW ULM – Last week, District 88 School board member Denny Waloch made the final motion to close the Dec. 19 school board meeting.

The honor of ending the last meeting of the year was given to Waloch because it was his last meeting as a board member. He had severed on the school board for 10 and a half years.

Waloch joined the New Ulm School Board in July 2014 as a replacement for a board member who resigned. He was appointed to the board to finish out the remainder of the year. A special election was held in Nov. 2014 in which voters approved Waloch to continue the next two years in the seat. In 2016, Waloch was re-elected to the board for a full term. In 2020, he was elected for a second full-term. Ahead of the 2024 election, Waloch decided not to seek re-election.

“I just wanted to be a positive influence on the school,” Waloch said of his initial decision to join the school board. “I never wanted to be one of those people who complained but never offered a solution.”

Waloch joined the board at a complicated time for the district. A few months before he was appointed to the board, the district had decided to call a referendum to bond for a new high school and remodel the existing schools. The vote on the referendum was planned for Aug. 12, a month after Waloch joined the board.

Waloch remembered attending listening sessions on the referendum. There was a lot of opposition to creating the new school. At the same time Waloch remembers many in the community were concerned if they should raise their kids in New Ulm. The previous years had seen many cuts to education.

Waloch admitted it was a difficult time to be a new board member. The board wanted the referendum to pass, but it was not clear the community agreed. On the night of the election, it appeared as if the vote had failed by a narrow margin of 49 votes.

However, late in the evening a counting irregularity was noticed. The County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office found the number of votes on the election card didn’t match the number on the tape. The vote totals were run again, and the new totals showed the district’s bond referendum had passed by a margin of 2,642 to 2,590.

Once the referendum passed, the district needed to plan for the new building. Waloch was placed on the facilities committee along with Superintendent Bertrang.

Waloch remembered the first issue the committee needed to determine was the location for the new high school. He said the school had three different locations in mind for the high school, priorities by letter. Fortunately, the committee’s “A” was available. The new high school was built at the end of Oak Street along Highland Avenue.

Waloch said the “B” choice for the high school was further west on Highway 14 and adjacent to New Ulm’s Airport. This site in now being used for the new National Guard Armory.

“Getting land locked in was great,” Waloch said.

The new school officially opened in fall of 2016 a few months before Waloch was elected to his first full term.

Waloch cited the new high school as one of the top highlights from his time on the board, but the most challenging time was during the COVID pandemic.

Like most school districts, New Ulm had to shut the schools down in March 2020 and go to distance learning. The next few years were focused on preventing the spread of COVID through the schools. This lead to controversies as masking became an issue.

In August 2021, before the start of the new school year, the school board had to vote whether to require masking in the school or leave it up to personal preference. The school board meeting in which this was decided was held in the Middle School gym to accommodate the crowd.

Waloch said it was a controversial topic and he had received emails for parents on every side of the issue.

“I went in there not knowing how I would vote,” he said.

During this tense meeting, Waloch was the only board member to make any motions on the mask issue. Some of the motions he himself did not support, but he made the motion to push the agenda forward and force the board to make a decision.

First he made a motion recommending masking be optional, but it failed by a 4-2 vote. Next, he made a motion to require masks for kindergarten through eighth grade, but not required for 9-12 graders. This motion ended in a 3-3 tie. His third motion was to make mask requirements for all grades. This one also failed. With all three options failing to pass, the previous mask standard remained in place. This was to keep masks as a recommendation, but not a requirement.

During Waloch’s final meeting as a school board member, Superintendent Sean Koster praised him his long tenure on the board; especially during challenging times.

“It is quite an accomplishment to serve on any school board in Minnesota for more than 10 years,” Koster said. “In New Ulm, I know the community is grateful, the school district is grateful … I am grateful for the time and dedication you have given to the district.”

Waloch said he chose not to run for re-election in 2024 to focus on his business. Waloch is the owner/operating agent for Horace Mann Insurance in New Ulm. He helps educators across 26 districts plan for retirement. Waloch said even though he is not on the board, his connection to the school will remain strong though his work.

Waloch also wanted to give others the chance to serve on the school board.

“It is good to have different perspectives,” he said. Starting in January Waloch’s seat will be taken by Sarah Leslie, who was elected to the open seat in November.

Asked what advise he would give the ongoing school board members, Waloch said, “Take the time to listen to each side when factoring into a decision.”

Waloch praised the District 88’s administrative staff. He said the board member should work to support the administration. At the same time, he said it was a good idea to ask questions durning meetings. Waloch believed asking a question, even to clarify a point can be helpful to others who had the same question.

“Education is complex,” he said. “Ask the question.”

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today