Dan Miller is the new principal at Boeckman Middle School

• Photo: Dan Miller

Dan Miller will spend the next several weeks making the transition from Dodge Middle School assistant principal to Boeckman Middle School principal.

Talk about it

The Farmington School District stayed close to home when it hired a new principal for Boeckman Middle School.

The school board on Monday approved the hiring of Dodge Middle School principal Dan Miller for the job.

Miller has been an assistant principal in the district for the past seven years.

“He knows the district well and he knows education well,” superintendent Jay Haugen said Monday. “He’s really on board with the direction the school district is going and is part of shaping the direction the school district is going.”

Haugen said Miller, a member of the committee that has led the effort to bring iPads into Farmington schools, has a firm grasp on technology and how it can be used to improve education.

Miller’s interest in the use of technology in education goes back well before he came to Farmington, and even before he was a licensed teacher. Miller started his career as a seventh-grade science teacher at Kenwood Trail Junior High in Lakeville, then took a job as a technology coordinator at Century Junior High, also in Lakeville. His masters degree is also in the area of education technology.

“It’s been a passion for a long time,” Miller said. “It was just something that I saw as a real hook for kids.”

The Boeckman job might be the perfect opportunity for Miller, who said he was eager in becoming a principal but reluctant to leave Farmington to find a job. Miller lives in the Boeckman attendance area.

“It’s an excellent situation to be in,” Miller said.

Haugen believes Miller will be a good fit for the job. He knows many of the staff members and is well liked.

“He’s just eminently qualified and ready to be a principal,” Haugen said.

Miller will replace Barb Duffrin, who has accepted a job as the district’s director of educational programs.

The district received several dozen applications for the Boeckman job. Haugen said the interview panel brought in nine candidates for the first round of interviews.

Tags: school district 192, news, farmington, education