Spencer School District welcomes Bill Otte

By Valorie Brecht With the announcement of Spencer School District Superintendent Mike Endreas retiring at the end of this school year, and Jason Gorst taking Endreas’ spot, that opened up the middle/high school principal position. Thankfully, the school district has found someone to fill that position: Bill Otte, who comes to Spencer with almost 30 years of experience in education.

Otte has taught middle school social studies for 25 years at the Dodgeland School District near Juneau, about 12 miles north of Watertown. He became interested in education partly to follow the example of his dad, who taught biology and then math for 36 years, and also coached sports.

“I knew I wanted to be a coach and teacher; I just wasn’t sure what subject. Well, I figured out my freshman year of high school. Watching my history teacher at the time, I felt there had to be a different way to teach history, a better way to do it,” said Otte.

So, he decided to become that better teacher he would have liked to have. He earned his broadfield social studies education degree from Edgewood College in Madison in 1995 and did a lot of of substitute teaching over the next four years before being hired by the Dodgeland School District in 1999. He found he enjoyed being able to engage young minds.

“If you’re able to get the kids involved, you can see that lightbulb moment. If you’re enthusiastic, the kids will catch hold of that. I just try to scratch the surface and get them to take an interest,” he said.

In 2016, he earned his principal’s license from Concordia University in Mequon.

“I thought it would be good to have if another opportunity would come down the road. I’ve done a lot of coaching over the years, and the way I look at it, administration is another form of coaching. You’re coaching teachers to be the best they can be,” Otte said.

Otte has indeed done a lot of coaching. He served as Dodgeland’s head boys basketball coach from the 2001-02 season to 2013, and again from the 201617 season through the 2021-22 season. The last couple of years, he coached middle school football. He has also helped with the youth recreation program, coaching baseball, basketball or filling in wherever needed. He has volunteered with many athletic events, including taking a leadership role in organizing the sectional wrestling meet his school hosts every year.

Additionally, Otte has supervised the middle school Washington, D.C., trip every year since he started teaching at Dodgeland (with the exception of a couple years that were cancelled due to COVID). He also coordinated the middle school national geography bee for several years and this year served as the Great History Challenge coordinator.

He is looking forward to applying his leadership experience to a new role. He’s not a total stranger to the area, as his sister lives in Spencer.

“I’m looking forward to getting to work with Jason, as my nieces and nephews had him as a coach and teacher. I’m looking forward to getting involved in the Spencer area, starting a new chapter in my education journey and keeping the school on the path it’s on right now,” he said. “I’m excited to try and help the students, families and staff make Spencer the best place it can be for education.”

Otte has four adult children between the ages of 21 and 27, and two grandchildren. Being in a new phase of life, he said he and his wife were “looking for a place to call home and are looking forward to being in that area.”

Otte’s official first day on the job will be July 1.

Bill Otte