MONROE — The School District of Monroe Board of Education named Nicole Ruegsegger the new interim principal at Northside Elementary, effective for the 2025-2026 academic year during its April 14 regular meeting.

A “number of strong, qualified candidates applied for that (Northside) job,” said Interim Superintendent Joe Monroe, noting that there were also two rounds of interviews and other intensive efforts involving parents and staff to find the right person for the job.

“We were fortunate enough to have a number of strong, qualified candidates who applied for that job, I think five to be exact,”  said Monroe, adding that Ruegsegger’s colleagues respect her and that her “story is great” because she started out working in the district office, eventually teaching special education at Northside and running the district’s summer school program as coordinator.

She left the district briefly at one point in her career, and became a special education teacher working in New Glarus’ school district, he said. But she soon returned to Monroe where “she rolls up her sleeves everyday” as a true leader who helps students.

The need for a new principal — the first one in many years — arose due to Northside’s Amy Timmerman recently taking Monroe’s previous job of Director of Pupil Services on an interim basis, an announcement made at Feb. 24 school board meeting. Timmerman has been with the district 20 years, 17 of those as the principal at Northside. 

Monroe was named acting and later interim superintendent on Jan. 13 after the School District of Monroe Board of Education announced it had accepted the resignation of Superintendent Rodney Figueroa. 

“I’m pretty excited about the opportunity, there’s no doubt about it,” said Timmerman, the longtime Northside principal of her promotion to the new job at the district leadership level. “It’s perfect for what I do.”

The board also honored a trio of school board members who are moving on — Rich Deprez, Dylan McGuire and Erik Eckdhal. Monroe and other members praised the men for serving through an eventful period in the district’s history, adding that in 25 or so years on the job the group represent “three of the finest” to serve Monroe schools on the board.