CFAUSD superintendent optimistic about upcoming school year

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - “I’ve never been more optimistic in my career as an administrator that I am right now.”

Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District Superintendent Jeff Holmes is entering his 15th year as a school administrator. He took over at Chippewa Falls two years ago as the COVID-19 pandemic began to drastically impact the course of education for students, parents and teachers. Now entering year three as leader of Cardinal Nation, Holmes says the focus of educators is to get students at all levels back to pre-pandemic standards.

“I think there’s going to be a period of time where it’s going to be about catch-up. That it’s going to be about bringing kids back up to the levels that they are capable of. The last two years put a tremendous amount of strain on kids, it put a huge amount of strain on teachers, the focus wasn’t always necessarily on learning,” explains Jeff Holmes.

Holmes has high praise for staff throughout the district in being diligent during the pandemic in creating a school curriculum that fit the needs of students and their families.

“We’ve been in education long enough to know that a universal curriculum is not necessarily in the best interest of our kids. What I do enjoy about Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District is our staff is very good about recognizing what needs to be done for all students,” says Holmes.

What’s good for students is a return to normalcy which Holmes witnessed firsthand last week when he attended the Chi Hi football team’s season-opening win over Holmen.

“The enthusiasm that I saw in those players and not just the parents but looking up into the stands and seeing the number of parents that had followed the team to that game, you could tell that people are ready to get back to that sense of normalcy.”

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