Frederick chosen new CSD superintendent

On March 14, the Custer School District (CSD) Board of Education offered Dr. Tim Frederick the superintendent of schools position.
Frederick has been the superintendent in the Mobridge-Pollock School District since 2010. Before that, he served as the district’s high school/middle school principal.
Frederick’s journey in education started at the University of Mary, where he got a bachelor’s degree and played college basketball. As it turned out, one of his coaches encouraged him to go into education.
“From there, I got a job as a teacher (at Wessington Springs), and I was fortunate enough to have some great mentors around me when I went to West Central that encouraged me to go into administration,” said Frederick.
Later, Frederick got his master’s degree from the University of South Dakota (USD), his specialist degree from the University of Sioux Falls and his doctorate from the USD.
As a superintendent, Frederick said, “My favorite thing is obviously working with the students, knowing that every program that we implement is going to have an impact and an influence on the future of our kids.”
Frederick also enjoys working with teachers, helping guide them through their careers and being able to facilitate resources that will help them give students more direction and success.
“The other thing that I really do enjoy is I enjoy working with the community. One thing about the superintendent position, you have to have a pulse of your community. You have to be able to branch out and make contacts with all the stakeholders,” said Frederick.
Of course, being a superintendent comes with challenges as well. Frederick said, “I think every superintendent has to deal with the challenge of being able to bring resources to the table. We also have the challenge of recruiting and hiring teachers. There’s just a shortage out there. I think that’s one of the greatest challenges we have. Another part of that would be how much e-learning do we provide versus that face-to-face instruction? We have kids today that need face-to-face instruction more than ever, and I think that’s a balancing act that we have to work through.”
Although some e-learning evolved out of COVID-19, Frederick said there are not enough teachers to meet the needs in smaller communities. E-learning was a solution to this, but it does not fit all of the children’s needs.
“Virtual is good. We have some very talented teachers that can provide it. It’s just about making sure that you mesh the right kids in the right program,” said Frederick. “Due to the distance our kids come from in our public school system, I think we have to be able to find creative ways of offering educational opportunities to our kids that can eliminate some of the barriers that they may be having in their lives.”
Frederick also said schools are working through issues with school culture and climate.
“Those are some of the things that are challenging, but they’re also very rewarding for our students and for our community when we’re able to bring everybody together and come up with solutions that are going to impact all kids,” said Frederick.
When the superintendent of schools position opened in Custer, Frederick said he was immediately interested. Back in 1989, when Frederick and his wife graduated from the University of Mary, he said they marked down five school districts they wanted to be teachers in. Custer was one of them.
“I love the fact that the Custer School District, with what’s happening in that area, is going to be a growing school district. There’s going to be a lot of opportunities there to build upon what (retiring superintendent of schools) Mark (Naugle) has already done there and the school board,” said Frederick.”
Frederick said it was the right time and the right fit, so he applied for the position.
On the day of the interview, Frederick came to Custer with his wife to explore the area and check out the housing opportunities for a few hours. Then, he headed to the school.
After not interviewing for a job in 20 some years, Frederick said it was a new experience but also something he enjoys.
“Every time you go out in public as a superintendent and talk, you’re kind of being interviewed. In that situation, I thought that it was a very smooth process. I felt the CSD did a great job of putting the candidates in front of the different groups. It was very rewarding,” said Frederick.
During the interview, the candidates met with panels of community members, school administration, teachers and school board members.
“With all the groups, I think there’s always a concern in education of making sure that we’re reaching out to all individuals in the community, making sure that we’re going to be collaborating and bringing all the stakeholders to the table. I sensed from everyone that that’s something they desire as a school district,” said Frederick.
Another concern expressed was the growth in Custer and what that will look like in the future for the Custer and Hermosa schools. In addition, Frederick said there were concerns about participation rates in extracurricular activities, which is something seen across the Midwest.
They also discussed teacher recruitment and retention, and the four groups brainstormed different solutions.
As he went through the interview process, Fredrick said he tried to develop a sense of what the need is in the district and what has been accomplished.
“You have to respect the traditions of the past and what’s been important, but then also you have to take time to analyze what people are saying and feeling today as you develop that vision of the future. I truly believe the CSD has a vision, and we’ll continue to develop that,” said Frederick.
Frederick was offered the position, and he accepted it. The deciding factor for Frederick was the people.
“The beauty of the Black Hills is there, but it’s also the people that I met throughout that process,” said Frederick. “I just think there are a lot of positive people. That’s one of the things I love surrounding myself with. I knew when I walked out of there that there’s a lot of people there that can impact the lives of kids and also the community. That was probably the biggest factor.”
As the CSD superintendent of schools, Frederick said some of his responsibilities will include working with business and finance managers, being accountable for the dollars of the district, acting as a liaison to bring people together and focusing on different values.
The key values Frederick would like to see in the district are respect for others, perseverance, resiliency in students, responsibility, accountability and a rigorous program. Frederick wants to see the district build courage and confidence in the children so they can be successful in whatever they do in life.
“I think more importantly, it’s the implementation of programs that will actually address those values in making the whole process of educating our students a positive experience for parents, for teachers and for the students,” said Frederick.
Frederick also said he will bring energy to the district.
“I’m not one that wants to sit in my office all day. I’m one that wants to get out and meet the kids and let them know that I’m going to be there for them to help them out. Same thing for the teachers,” said Frederick.
Right away, Frederick said he will not have systematic goals but rather relational ones. During his first 30 days, Frederick plans to visit as many businesses in the community as possible to introduce himself and build relationships.
“That area of the country is going to see a huge impact in a lot of different industries. I think the more the school can be involved in that, we can be part of finding solutions to the growth that’s going to happen,” said Frederick.
He also plans to have meetings to go through finances, policies and look at the needs of the teachers and the community.
“As that first four months progress on, I think then, with the vision of the school and the school board’s support, that’s when we’ll start looking at our different goals to implement within a strategic plan,” said Frederick.
With a start date of July 1, Frederick will be moving to the area in the near future with his wife, who is currently a special education director in the McLaughlin School District. They also have three children, who are now living in Eastern South Dakota and Minnesota.
As the transition occurs, Frederick expects to have many conversations with Naugle since they have known each other for a number of years.
“I’m so excited about moving out to Custer, meeting new people, new faces and trying to work through an understanding of what the students need in that area. That’s really what I’m looking forward to right now,” said Frederick.
To the community, Frederick said, “I’m a family guy. I enjoy meeting other people, and my door is always going to be open to listen to concerns, to listen to concerns and to work with people that want to bring solutions to problems. If we can learn to work together, I think we can solve a lot of the problems that we see in K-12 education today.”