OSHKOSH – The Oshkosh Area School District is losing one of its high-ranking officers and longest-serving educators.
After 33 years in the district, Assistant Superintendent of Operations Julie Conrad-Peters appears to be headed south, having accepted an offer to serve as the next superintendent of Lake Wales Charter School System in Central Florida.
Conrad-Peters confirmed the news to the Northwestern after the Lake Wales Charter School’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to offer her the position at a special work session and board meeting June 5.
“It’s bittersweet because I am excited for the opportunity, but I have been a part of the district for 33 years and developed a lot of great relationships,” Conrad-Peters said. “This is just next step in my journey as an educator and I am looking forward to making an impact in their community.”
Conrad-Peters was a principal of the former Webster Stanley Middle School and a one-time assistant principal at Oshkosh West.
A former high school science teacher, Conrad-Peters served as an assistant principal at Oshkosh West High School prior to becoming the principal of the former Webster Stanley Middle School for two years.
She also served as a project manager for administrative professional development and then director of curriculum and assessment from 2012 to 2023 before spending the last two years as assistant of superintendent of operations.
In charge of the district’s facilities planning, Conrad-Peters played a significant role in getting the district’s $197.8 million facilities referendum passed during the April 1 spring election.
Geared toward saving revenue through the consolidation of district facilities, phase two of the plan will see South Park and Perry Tipler middle schools merging into a new middle school, slated to open in 2028 at the site of the current Jacob Shapiro Elementary School.
“That was one of the things I am most proud of because learning space matters, so that was actually really exciting to see the referendum being passed,” Conrad-Peters said.
The move also reunites the long-serving educator with a number of family members, including her son, brother and sister, who all currently live in Florida.
Former Lake Wales Charter Schools Superintendent Wayne Rodolfich was dismissed after complaints that he created a hostile work environment and racially discriminated against an employee.
She is set to replace former Lake Wales Charter Schools Superintendent Wayne Rodolfich, who was dismissed last June following an investigation into complaints of a hostile work environment and racial discrimination.
Conrad-Peters was one of 20 applicants for the position before eventually beating out interim superintendent at the School District of Bloomer Lee Bush and Orange County Public Schools Chief Schools Officer Kathyrn Shuler.
Her final contract is set to be voted on June 16, with a planned start date of July 1.
Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@gannett.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: OASD Assistant Superintendent Julie Conrad-Peters accepts offer to become superintendent in Florida
Reporting by Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
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