March 11, 2026
By ANASTASIA PENCHI
DE SOTO, Wis. – Test scores improved overall in the De Soto Area School District in the 2024-2025 school year, but the district still has a lot to accomplish in its Academic Excellence Plan.
Middle & High School Principal Tim Fergot, who is charged with leading the district’s effort on Academic Excellence, updated school board members on his progress during the regular School Board meeting in February.
Now in the second year of a five-year Academic Excellence Plan, Fergot said current work involves analyzing the data, applying initiatives to classrooms and tracking progress.
The plan’s mission to provide “high-quality, equitable education,” was developed more than a year ago after a 31-point gap was identified during state testing in the 2023-2024 school year between De Soto’s two elementary schools. Stoddard Elementary exceeded expectations; Prairie View Elementary in Retreat failed to meet expectations.
In addition to testing challenges, voters have refused three operational referendums during the past two years. Community members also protested an elementary principal who was put on leave at the beginning of 2025 (he was since rehired, the superintendent resigned and several school board members were not re-elected ).
The new School Board set four priorities: Academic excellence; employee retention, long range planning and marketing/community engagement. Board President Holly Nickelatti told the board progress is being made in all areas.
Fergot said Academic Excellence work started with a committee and three measurable goals to look at in five years: Improve K-8 literacy rates by 10 percent; increase the percentage of students who meet and exceed expectations by 15 percent; and increase student attendance by five percent.
He said accomplishments during the first year include:
- Created a team to address academic needs and plan oversight
- Established curriculum leadership responsibility
- Developed the Academic Excellence Plan
- Appointed a new district assessment coordinator
- Reorganized testing schedules at the elementary and middle school levels
Fergot said teachers and administrators focused on the variables they could control last year – like the testing schedule, which was spread out over several days. Middle school scores took a “phenomenal jump” from 59.6 (meets expectations) to 75.3 (exceeds expectations) and the elementary school gap shrunk to 21 points.
“The staff owns these scores, too,” Fergot said. “It took a lot of planning, but it paid off.”
Fergot, who also serves as the district’s assistant superintendent (he’s working with Interim Superintendent Craig Gerlach and will become De Soto’s superintendent next year), will be the district’s fourth superintendent in four years.
Additional work being completed this year includes implementing a Positive Attendance Campaign, identifying barriers to learning and professional development that focuses on academic improvement. Performance metrics and incentives for success are also planned.
“We want to let the data drive us,” Fergot said. “As fast as scores can go up – they can also go down.”
Anastasia Penchi is veteran writer who spent 13 years as a newspaper journalist and now works as a freelance writer. You may have seen her work in Coulee Region Women’s magazine, the Great Rivers Road blog and Explore La Crosse. Her passions are helping people in poverty and trying to save traditional journalism. She resides in Genoa and is a board member with Couleecap Inc. She can be reached at callmeloislane@hotmail.com.
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