Jonathan Lamberson won’t be retiring after all.
The superintendent of Riverside Elementary School District 96, who will leave his post on June 30, has been hired to be the superintendent of the Cedarburg School District in Cedarburg, Wis. Lamberson will take over in Cedarburg, which is 17 miles north of Milwaukee, on July 1.
On April 13 the Cedarburg school board voted unanimously to hire Lamberson. The job will be a homecoming of sorts for Lamberson, who lived on the west side of Milwaukee when he was an adolescent.
“It’s a phenomenal opportunity,” Lamberson told the Landmark. “Just an exceptional community. It’s a community that Karen and I are very familiar with and have loved for many years. Our daughter was up at Concordia University next door in Mequon getting her B.S. and master’s degree in physical therapy, so we were up there regularly for over six years and spent virtually all our time in Cedarburg.”
The Cedarburg School District has about 5,000 students and consists of a high school, a middle school and three elementary schools.
According the district’s website Cedarburg High School students had an average ACT score 25.2 last year and the high school was recognized by Newsweek Magazine as one of America’s best high schools and was rated the fourth best public high school in Wisconsin. About 1,150 students attend the high school.
“It’s a very high-performing district, very supportive of students, families, very community minded,” Lamberson said. “It’s a really exceptional community.”
Kevin Kennedy, the president of the Cedarburg school board declined to answer questions about hiring Lamberson, but sent the Landmark a statement that the Cedarburg school board sent to all Cedarburg School District employees.
“Dr. Lamberson brings a wealth of exemplary experience in education from some of the state of Illinois’ highest performing districts including the New Trier, Barrington and Lake Forest school districts,” the statement said. “He has a proven track record of academic excellence, strong fiscal management and sustainable technology implementation.”
Lamberson signed a two year contract. In his first year he will be paid $160,000, well under the $288,207.46 that District 96 is paying him this year.
“I wish him well,” said District 96 school board Vice President Art Perry. “His contract was ending, so he was going to be leaving District 96. We’ve known that for a long time. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for him. He seems very excited about it.”
