The new Southland superintendent is doing a super job.

Everybody says so. Just ask.

Steve Sallee took over the superintendent’s duties from Gary Kuphal July 1.

He came to the top Southland administrator’s job from the neighboring LeRoy-Ostrander Independent School District, where he was principal.

Sallee is in his 13th year as an educator.

According to the district’s Rebel Talk newspaper, Sallee started his career at Ellsworth, Wis., where he was a physical education teacher and adaptive specialist.

He was hired to be principal at the L-O district in 2005.

He and his wife, Shelly, have been married 14 years. They have a daughter, Riley, age 3.

Sallee joined the Southland district at a time of turnover among teaching faculty.

This year, eight new teachers took jobs in the district.

Randy Juhl is the Southland elementary school principal and Ryan Luft handles middle and high school principal duties. Southland has an enrollment of 580 students in grades K-12 or twice as many as the L-O district.

Ironically, L-O’s superintendent is Larry Tompkins, who is serving as an interim administrator. Tompkins was Southland’s superintendent for 32 years before he retired and was replaced by Kuphal.

Sallee described himself as a “very visible” school administrator and one who enjoys being involved in decision-making.

His introduction to the district has been all positive and he had praise for everyone who made that possible.

This is the first year Southland has not had to make any financial cuts after the district’s voters passed an operating levy referendum.

It’s created a whole new teaching atmosphere, according to Sallee.

“Everybody pitched in to cut as much as was absolutely necessary,” he said. “Now, we’ve put that behind us and we’re moving forward.”

Still, Sallee said the district must not ignore any challenges in the seemingly constantly fragile financial world of a rural school district in Minnesota.

Among those an “extra large junior class,” who will graduate in two years and the drop-off in enrollment when those students leave school.

Southland also plugged a nagging hole with a new on-campus post secondary education options program created by the principal, Luft.

What words of advice does he follow in his day-to-day school superintendent duties?

“Never be content. Keep moving forward,” he said.