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Jane Mathes named as Luxemburg-Casco Director of Student Services

LUXEMBURG, Wis. – Jane Mathes, an area educator for the past 20 years, has been named the Director of Student Services for the Luxemburg-Casco School District. In two decades with the Unified School District of De Pere, she has been a middle-school teacher, a special-education teacher and worked in a student program support role.

At L-C, Mathes’ responsibilities include leadership for Special Education, English Language Learner (ELL), health, guidance, counseling, nursing, mental health, and other student services and programs. She will collaborate to integrate special education with regular education across grade levels, subjects and systems on a district-wide basis. Mathes also will be a member of the administrative team.

“Jane is awesome and will be a phenomenal addition to our team,” says Jo-Ellen Fairbanks, Ph.D., Luxemburg-Casco superintendent. “Her experience in the classroom and in providing supports to students, particularly those with additional challenges, will be an asset to the district. L-C focuses on a whole-child approach in educating its students, and this position is integral to positive student outcomes.”

A native of Waterloo, Wis., Mathes started her professional career at De Pere Middle School in 2004, teaching eighth-grade science and writing for four years. She then began an 11-year run as a special-education teacher, serving as the department’s team leader for the final nine years. In 2019, Mathes assumed a program support role for the De Pere district. Her position entailed student-services problem solving, early-childhood evaluations, 4K program coordination, off-site student case management, non-violent crisis training to district staff, and special-education staff supports.

“I am excited to be part of the Luxemburg-Casco community,” says Mathes. “There is such a strong sense of community here, and I value the way people support one another. “I enjoy supporting students throughout their entire school experience – seeing them from 3 years old when they enter the school system as they progress into the older grades; being that support for students and their families is what I love.”

Student mental health is increasingly a concern for educators. A 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey of high-school students conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) showed that more than half (51.6%) report having anxiety. Also, nearly 6 in 10 students said that they have had at least one mental-health challenge over the past year.

Mathes recognizes the importance of student mental health and the role it plays in the educational experience.

“We are partners with the families of our students,” she says. “The biggest thing we need to make sure of is that students are connected to at least one adult in a meaningful way. It’s our job to build those positive relationships. Overall student wellness leads to successful student outcomes.”

Mathes is a magna cum laude graduate of St. Norbert College. She later earned a master’s degree in special education from Silver Lake College in Manitowoc, along with an administrative license in pupil services from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.