Residents Give Wish List for New Superintendent

What do Avon residents want in a new schools superintendent?

A lot.

About a dozen residents showed up Wednesday night for a public forum at hosted by Finding Leaders, the firm hired by the  to help find a replacement for current superintendent Jim Reitenbach, who is resigning at the end of the school year.

Finding Leaders owner Paul Pendleton said his company will also be talking with school staff and administrators in similar forums. Applications are being taken over the next six to seven weeks, he said.

The top 12 to 15 will be interviewed, with the list narrowed to six. That list will be presented to the school board, which will interview the six and narrow the contenders to two. The two finalists will be interviewed by what Pendleton called a "stakeholder group" of between 40 and 50 people including school board members, residents and school staff. The board will then vote on the hire.

Subjects from working with area businesses to curriculum to residency were discussed at Wednesday's forum.

"We need someone who won't manage the district like it's still Avon from 15 years ago," one resident said. "They need to keep up with the growth in Avon."

One factor brought up several times was the desire for the superintendent to be more open and accessible to the community than Reitenbach has been, or perceived to have been.

"I wonder if that is part of why we can't get the middle school levy passed?" one resident said.

Communicating with the community is vital for a school district, one person said, and the superintendent needs to set an example.

"Look at the (district) website," they said. "It's hardly ever updated."

Because of that lack of communication at the district level, one resident said, school principals aren't pushed to communicate with parents. Some are outstanding, the parent said, sending regular emails and updates, but others fall short.

"The superintendent sets the standards for the district," another resident said. "And whoever is hired needs to realize that."

The superintendent also needed to be more challenging of the school board, several residents said, and more vocal in district issues and decisions.

"We get the feeling decisions are being made behind closed doors," a resident said.

While there is no residency requirement for the job, several people said they felt the new superintendent should live in Avon.

Some brought up age, saying they didn't want a "double-dipping" superintendent who had retired to begin collecting their pension and was then re-hired at a lower wage. Reitenbach, like many other superintendents in Ohio, had done this.

"We need someone who will be here a while and wants to make a career here," a resident said. "Someone who is already around retirement age isn't going to be here for the long run."

One resident brought up the ability to understand and work with financial issues.

"We've got shortfalls coming, and operating expenses continue to rise," they said. "It's going to be a challenge for whoever the next superintendent is."

Other wants mentioned were:

• Classroom experience, preferably for more than five years, to make sure he or she is in touch with the needs of teachers and students, and is up-to-date on curriculum.
• Measuring success by more than the state's "Excellent With Distinction" rating.
• Administrative experience, either at a school principal or district level. 
• Ability to connect with the growing Avon business community to bring in donations and learning opportunities.
• Experience in a district similar in size and demographics to Avon.
• An inclusive attitude for students of all learning levels, abilities and interests.