Huber only internal candidate being considered for vacant Rogers City superintendent position
by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor
In his 16 months working in Rogers City Area Schools as a principal, Monday was the first time Jamie Huber wore dress shoes. He put them on at 6 p.m., a half hour before the Board of Education?s regular monthly meeting. On the agenda was a public interview for the vacant superintendent job, of which, he is the only candidate being considered. Huber usually wears sneakers around the building. He started as 6-12 principal but was given additional K-5 principal duties in November when former superintendent Dan Byrne was put on unpaid leave and later resigned.
?I am not a sit-back kind of person,? said Huber. ?I?ve never been that way?I don?t sit in my office. I want to be where the kids are because that?s where things are happening.? During the nearly one-hour interview, Huber answered questions on topics ranging from negotiations, management style, budget and planning, as well as curriculum.
Huber answered a trimmed down set of predetermined questions that were used during the superintendent search two years ago, a round of individual questions from each board member and another from the audience.
?I?M OPERATING in a fish bowl,? said Huber. ?No matter how you look at it, what angle you look at it, it?s always going to be the same. There are no secrets with what I?m trying to do, or agendas. It is going to be whatever is in the best interest of the district, and ultimately students in the classrooms.?
Huber believes his previous experiences at Atlanta Community Schools make him qualified for the superintendent job in Rogers City.
He told the board he knows the operation of a school district from top to bottom. ?I could essentially, pick a student up, because I can drive a bus,? he said. ?I was facilities director, a certified building and trades instructor, so I could fix the drinking fountain if I had to. I taught classes. If there was a disruption, I could deal with them in the principal?s office, then, at the end of the day I could drive them home on the bus. It is kind of my philosophy, that I can be everywhere and everything, and have that broad perspective.?
Huber taught math, physical education, coached, and was the athletic director in Atlanta.
When asked about his leadership style, Huber said, ?I can?t pull the cart by myself. As a 6-12 principal, I couldn?t do it, and certainly now as a K-12 principal I can?t do that.? He added that there is a fine line between ?delegating and dumping.?
Huber?s philosophy on getting the best out of students is ?if your student is not learning the way you are teaching, then you need to teach the way they learn. Ultimately, we are not teaching subject matter, we are teaching students. When you change to that thought process, those connections you have to make with the student, individually, are powerful.?
He also believes there needs to be more parental involvement in the secondary. Marx asked Huber, if offered the combination superintendent/principal job, would he prefer the elementary or secondary principal?s job.
?My background is secondary,? said Huber. ?I feel that I?m really strong in that area. I feel that in the last 16 months I?ve demonstrated that to the board. I would look to continue that and find someone that would supplement that strength at the elementary level.?
WHEN MARX gave the board the options of hiring a consultant to continue the search for a superintendent, or check Huber?s references, board members w
?I think that longevity is very important,? said board member Lee Gapczynski. ?I think that you are a very straight-forward person. As far as not being a superintendent before, everyone was a rookie at one time or another, I?ve got no problem with it.? Huber believes stability is needed in the office, and also hopes for a ?transition that?s smooth, for everyone involved here.?
Marx said he would check the references, update board member Lori Dix, who was excused from the meeting, with a final decision on Huber coming at the March meeting. Board member Bob Starnes believes he would be an ?asset in the executive?s chair.?