Sharing concept off the table, as RC board begins search for a full-time superintendent

Members of the Rogers City Area Schools Board of Education have agreed to begin the search for a new superintendent for the 2007-08 school and to restructure the district?s leadership. The board approved the establishment of two administrative positions for the 07-08 school year. They would include a superintendent/elementary principal and a secondary principal. The decision by the board to search for a new superintendent came as part of a recommendation from superintendent Paul Mancine. The board set a preliminary target date of March 1, 2007, as part of the motion unanimously approved by the board, and a July 1, 2007 date for filling the post.

President Mike Marx was reluctant with the motion because he believes the March 1 date is not realistic for selecting a new superintendent. ?I don?t see how that is going to happen,? said Marx. As recent as the last meeting, some board members expressed an interest in sharing a superintendent with a neighboring school district and keeping Mancine on board for another year. That concept has waned, Mancine said.

LATE LAST year, members of the Posen Consolidated Schools Board of Education broke off discussions to share a superintendent with Rogers City, and went in another direction. Rogers City board members also pitched the concept to Onaway school officials, but they were not interested. Another reason to restructure the administration, said Mancine, is the need for a presence at both the high school/middle school and elementary buildings. ?Rogers City needs a superintendent here full-time and hopefully that person will live in and be a part of the community,? said Mancine. ?Overall, you need at least two full-time professional leaders so that all the bases are covered and the staff has adequate support.?

Currently, Deb Jones serves as K-12 principal, while Mancine has been handling the supertendent?s job three to four days a week. In regard to Jones? responsibilities as K-12 principal Mancine said, ?We asked her to do too much.?

A REVIEW OF the administration personnel at districts similar in size to Rogers City suggests a need for Rogers City to re-evaluate its current administration staffing and the configuration of administration assignments, stated a report prepared by Mancine. He stated that Rogers City?s administration, which is staffed at an average of 1.6 administrators, is ?less than its peers and even less than smaller schools.? Mancine surveyed 10 schools with a student population of 551 to 650 students, which averaged 2.9 administrators. For 11 schools with a student population of 451 to 550 students, the average number of administrators is 2.7. The board will look at several options in its search for a superintendent, including the utilization of the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB), the Cheboygan-Otsego-Presque Isle Educational Service District (COP-ESD), or possibly a third party consultant.

BOARD MEMBER Scott McLennan, who has been involved in two superintendent searches, said both the MASB and a search consultant previously used by the district cost $10,000 each, and he believes the board should utilize the services

of the COP-ESD, to keep costs down. ?If that does not work then bring MASB on board later,? he said. McLennan also expects the staff to be involved in the search, much as they have in the past. He said their help was ?extensive? in the past. His remarks were in response to comments made at the beginning of Monday?s meeting from Mary Jo Hein, president of the Rogers City Educators? Association. She asked the board to seek input and ideas ?from the people in the trenches.? Board member Dick Hanson would prefer to have the full board, and not just the executive committee, decide what direction the board should go in.

Marx suggested that the five of seven board members that have never been involved in a superintendent search do their homework because there are ?things you can and cannot do.? Mancine was charged by Marx to gather additional information. A special meeting may be called by the president to expedite the process.