New Swanson Principal is Teacher at Heart

After teaching first grade for 14 years, Kori Hartman didn't want to fully give up teaching when she became an elementary school principal in Janesville.

"I miss the classroom sometimes so what I do is I get in the classroom," Hartman said. "I read to all the classrooms at least once a year. I like to get in and sub as needed.

"I think it's important for the students to know I'm a teacher. That's the one thing I like to tell the kids," she said.

It's a message she'll take to her new school — Swanson Elementary, where she succeeds Anne Kreul.

Hartman knows it's a tough act to follow. before . But Hartman said the Swanson community has been incredibly supportive since she arrived in July, moving into her brother's home in Brookfield while she tries to sell her home in Janesville.

"They welcomed me with open arms," she said. "The people here are warm and welcoming."

Her only child — a son — is in college, and Hartman was ready for a new challenge after working her entire career (23 years) in the Janesville School District. She knew of Elmbrook's high reputation from her brother, as well as in educational circles.

She applied to principal jobs in three school districts, but chose not to interview at the third after being impressed with Swanson and Elmbrook.

"Swanson is such a well-established, well-respected, high-achieving school," Hartman said. "This school is in really good shape."

Elmbrook Superintendent Matt Gibson said the respect was mutual.

"She's not missing a beat from where we left off," he said. "She’s a really positive person." 

In an April memo to the School Board recommending her hire, Gibson described Hartman as "genuine and thoughtful" with staff and students, using "great tact" to help them with school and life issues.

"She always puts students and their achievement first and sets people up for success," Gibson wrote. "She's very open to new ideas and pursues professional growth. She doesn't shy away from issues but addresses them right away. She is dedicated."

Hartman, 49, was named Janesville's School District Administrator of the Year last year. She served as principal of Van Buren Elementary since 2007, a school with close to half the enrollment of Swanson.

She has two masters degrees — in reading/writing specialty from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2001 and educational leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2007.

After teaching first grade, she was a reading specialist for five years. While leading teacher data retreats on reading assessments and instruction, she became interested in school administration.

"You go into teaching to make a difference for the students," Hartman said.

As a principal, she can help many teachers positively impact children.

She said she plans to spend awhile observing and learning the teams already in place at Swanson. 

"From there I'll try to find the ways I can make a difference," she said.

On the first day of school last week, she started with a parent coffee that went well and was well-attended. Only one child cried when being dropped off.

Hartman credited Swanson's staff. She said they put in long hours during the summer, helping to interview candidates for an open third-grade teaching position and preparing for the first day of school.

She plans to make roots in Brookfield, looking for a house and attending concerts and theater with her brother, who teaches trumpet at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and performs in Chicago musical theater.

"I walk-slash-jog," she said, adding her family completed a half marathon last year at Disneyland. "We walked for a lot of it."

And she'll be looking to share her love of reading.

"I get to know all the students through my love of reading and literacy," she said.