Superintendent search still on hold, teachers support status quo
by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor
Onaway Area Community Schools is at a crossroads. Back in the fall, when former superintendent Bob Szymoniak resigned to take another job in the state just before the first day of school, the board of education decided to appoint the business manager Rod Fullerton as the interim superintendent, and put any search for a new superintendent on hold.
Boards members have been told there would be better candidates after the first of the year. In the meantime, the school?s legislative body would monitor how Fullerton and the other administrators were handling the day-to-day operation of the school.
According to several members of the teaching staff, who attended Tuesday?s school board workshop mainly because of the agenda item ?superintendent search,? the working environment is the best they?ve ever been a part of in Onaway.
This despite Millersburg Elementary School closing in June, larger class sizes, a new elementary principal and nobody sitting in the superintendent?s chair.
VETERAN MEMBERS of the faculty believe the transition has been seamless, and that the current administration, with Fullerton at the helm, working lock-step with elementary principal Mindy Horn and secondary principal Marty Mix, should remain intact.
Board president Mitch Winfield said information is being gathered in case a superintendent search needs to be conducted. ?All we are trying to do is be a half-step ahead, and have some sort of plan in case we need to do this right away,? said Winfield. Time has been devoted at the last two workshop sessions to gather thoughts and ideas about what the board wants out of the next superintendent.
Winfield said one of the key questions that would have to be asked is, ?can we afford another administrator? Can we afford another $130,000 to $140,000 a year? Do we hire another superintendent knowing we are going to be then making cuts that will be in the classroom, directly affecting kids.?
During the public comment period, some teachers put their support behind the new leadership team.
?WE HAVE a lead administrator who is a financial wizard, and I don?t care where you search, you won?t find anyone better than that,? said Carolyn Robbins, a 22-year veteran. ?We have two principals who are doing a fantastic job. You won?t find a better team.
?The administration, this year, is awesome,? said Tami Bassett, who was reluctant about the move from Millersburg last June to Onaway at the beginning of the new school year. ?I?ve had one of the best years. It has been awesome. I did not expect it, I dreaded it, and I am just blown away.?
Tony Hoffmeyer said, ?I am 110 percent, fully in support of Rod Fullerton. Rod will plow snow, fix vehicles, come in the classroom… This is the best the school has ever been. I attribute that to that pyramid effect that we have between the elementary principal, high school principal, and our man at the top, that I for one, really hope stays where he is.? Board member Sharon Lyon wants to make sure the board makes the right decision.
?I AM SCARED to death that we will not progress as we were progressing,? said Lyon. ?We did progress in this school; we have turned it around; we were at-risk, we are not at-risk now.
?I am very impressed wi
Robbins countered, ?I don?t think it?s the superintendent that takes you there, I think it?s the staff that you have that takes you there. We have that staff, and I would put our staff up against any staff in Michigan. To say you are afraid we are going to fall backwards, I kind of take offense to that, because, by gosh, I don?t intend on going backwards. We are so excited about what is going on here.?
Winfield said an upcoming superintendent evaluation might provide a tool to help the board make a decision about what their next step will be. For now, the popular status quo remains in place. IN OTHER business: After a lengthy discussion, the ?Race to the Top? resolution was approved on a 5-2 vote. The board authorized submission of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the district?s participation in the state?s application for Race to the Top funding from the federal government ? but with wariness. In the Race to the Top competition being conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, all 50 states are racing to reform their education systems so American children can compete in a global economy. Only a small number of states will be winners. Each will receive as much as $500 million in federal Recovery Act funds to improve their schools. For Onaway, it could mean $116,000, but there are no guarantees. Horn said some of the mandates are going to be implemented regardless. The district?s attorney, who represents schools all over the state, did not give a full blessing and advised the board to enter into the agreement ?cautiously.? Terry Materna and Dan Heythaler voted ?no.?