By Lawrence Budd, Staff Writer DDN
3:04 PM Thursday, September 23, 2010
SPRINGBORO — Today the Springboro school board is expected to begin interviewing the eight finalists for the school superintendent’s job.
The board is expected to interview seven Ohio school administrators, as well as interim Superintendent Gene Lolli, who was appointed to head the district after the resignation of David Baker, effective July 1.
Since then, the board has replaced a member and hired a new treasurer, but has yet to decide on the administrator to head the district.
“We need to get somebody in place permanently,” board member Scott Anderson said.
Other finalists are Joel Anderson, director of curriculum and instruction for the Warren County Joint Vocational Schools; Hank Jackoby, an assistant principal at Fairmont High School; and five superintendents from other Ohio districts, Matthew Dill, Fort Frye Local Schools; Tony Dunn, Georgetown Exempted Village Schools; Doug Fries, Lincolnview Local Schools; Darren Jenkins, Northwest Ohio Educational Service Center; and Clinton Moore, National Trail Local Schools.
Voters and board members, including Anderson, have expressed confidence in Lolli, formerly an assistant principal at Springboro High School.
But the board also plans to interview the other seven finalists selected after a search by a consultant with the Ohio School Boards Association.
First round interviews are to continue on Sept. 25 and Sept. 29.
The board plans to introduce candidates selected from the personal interviews to the public before hiring the superintendent, ideally by the end of October.
“We have to let the process unwind,” Anderson said.
It was unclear whether the new superintendent would be on board before the Nov. 2 levy election, unless Lolli is selected.
“That’s all up in the air,” Anderson said.
The board had weighed waiting until after the election, when district voters will consider a 6.83 mill emergency levy expected to raise $5.9 million a year for five years. Voters have rejected four consecutive levies for new operating money, most recently by 111 votes in May 2009.
