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Todd Huisman is the new middle and high school princi- pal at Pipestone Area Schools. The Wilmont-native was previously a teacher, assistant principal and principal in Texas and a teacher in Sioux Falls. K. Kuphal
Todd Huisman (rhymes with Houston) is the new middle and high school principal at Pipestone Area Schools (PAS). He replaces Cory Strasser, who left the district for a job in Rapid City.
Huisman will be referred to as a coordinator rather than principal for now while he completes the licensure process through the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, but will have all the duties of a principal. He said he expected to have a provisional license within a month and has two years to earn nine college credits to obtain an administrative license. He plans to do that online through Southwest Minnesota State University. The licensure work is necessary because Huisman’s previous administrative experience was in Texas.
“It is quite a feat to get licensure in the state of Minnesota,” Huisman said.
Huisman grew up in Wilmont and graduated from Worthington High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English and special education from the University of Nebraska and took a job teaching English, special education and other courses at Cypress Creek High School in the suburbs of Houston.
“I really liked it there,” Huisman said. “There’s something to be said — it’s very true — about southern hospitality.”
Huisman said the principal who had recruited him to Cypress Creek High School suggested he pursue a leadership position not long after he started teaching there. He followed her advice and earned a master’s degree in education administration and leadership from Texas A&M University while continuing to teach full-time.
Soon after he earned his master’s degree, an assistant principal position opened up at the school and the principal encouraged him to apply. He did and was hired for the position.
Huisman served as an assistant principal for three years and principal for around 15 years at Cypress Creek High School. Two years ago he decided to move closer to his family and took a job as a behavior and special education teacher at Terry Redlin Elementary School in Sioux Falls where his mom and sister live.
He still had a desire to return to school administration, however, and when the position at PAS opened up, it piqued his interest due in part to his familiarity with the area. He did some research on the school district, decided it was a good fit and applied for the position.
Superintendent Klint Willert said Huisman was one of several people who applied for the position during two rounds of advertising and was selected due to his leadership experience, knowledge, educational background and connections to southwest Minnesota.
He started working for the district Aug. 1 and the school board will approve his employment at an upcoming meeting. Willert said the school district asked Huisman to begin as soon as possible to help prepare for the upcoming school year, which is less than a month away. Huisman will be paid $110,000 for the 2023-24 school year.
For now, Huisman plans to commute to Pipestone from Sioux Falls because he recently had a new home built there. He said the commute hadn’t bothered him so far and gives him time to think about things he needs to do.
Huisman said that as middle and high school principal, he plans to be an advocate for students, parents and the community, and support the employees of PAS. He said his biggest strength is building relationships and his philosophy is that every decision a principal makes must be data driven and student-centered.
He said he’s grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a principal at PAS.
“God has truly blessed me to give me the opportunity to have this job and I’m very thankful that Dr. Willert, the school board and the community of Pipestone believed in me enough to offer me this position,” Huisman said.