Several districts and their superintendents have cut ties within the last week, including a former New Jersey leader who had been suspended since October.
Superintendent Rob Zywicki has resigned from the Mount Olive School District as a lawsuit he has filed against the school board over his suspension makes its way through the courts, the Daily Record reported. The school board has not said publicly why it placed Zywicki on paid suspension last fall. He is seeking up to $5 million in damages, according to the Daily Record.
Rock Island-Milan School District #41 in Illinois has parted ways with Superintendent Reginald Lawrence, who was hired in 2019-2020 after serving as a regional superintendent in Milwaukee Public Schools. The district did not provide any further information about Lawrence’s departure.
In California, the Merced City School District board voted unanimously to fire Superintendent Diana Jimenez less than a year after she was hired, the Merced Sun-Star reported. Jimenez had previously served as superintendent of Winters Joint USD. Some employees had expressed discontent about Jimenez’s leadership, particularly in the area of communication, according to the Sun-Star.
Among the last week’s most notable hires is Michael Giles, who will become superintendent of Aurora Public Schools in Colorado on July 1. Giles currently serves as assistant superintendent of equity, culture and community engagement at Cherry Creek School District, which is also in the Denver metro area. Giles, who once worked for a juvenile correction center, was also a school counselor, dean of students, assistant principal and principal at Cherry Creek.
Supeintendents switching places
A number of superintendents will bring their leadership talents to new districts over the summer. Superintendent Keith Miles is moving from Bridgeton Public School in New Jersey to the School District of Lancaster in neighboring Pennsylvania.
Miles previously served as an assistant superintendent at Trenton Public Schools and a principal in Camden City School District, both in New Jersey. He began his career as a biology teacher at Oxon Hill High School in Maryland.
Joshua Garcia, superintendent of Rockport-Fulton ISD, is taking over at Kaufman ISD in Texas. Garcia led Rockport-Fulton through a long-range facilities master planning process that culminated in the passage of a $66 million dollar construction bond. In Ohio, Ronald “Mark” Kowalski will become superintendent at Coshocton City Schools in August. He has served as superintendent of the Liberty-Benton Local School District since 2017.
And Superintendent Lisamarie Spindler will leave Hudson City School District for Florida Union Free School District, both in New York. Spindler has also been an assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction and an assistant superintendent of finance. Finally, Superintendent Tobin Novasio is leaving Montana’s Lockwood School District after 11 years for the top post at the Hardin School District in the same state, according to KTVQ.com.
More new hires
- Jaime Clark, Henrietta ISD (Texas)
- Dudley Darrow, Enid Public Schools (Oklahoma)
- Eric Hughes, Miami East Local School District (Ohio)
- Anjanette Murry (interim superintendent), Crandall ISD (Texas)
- Linda Rankin, Miller Grove ISD (Texas)
- Dennis Wiechmann, Sanger USD (California)
More from DA: Nearly 25% of high school students now identify as LGBTQ. Here’s why that matters
