Superintendent turnover continued its churn over the last week as school boards hired dozens of new leaders while several others resigned, announced their retirements or otherwise departed.
In Wisconsin, Superintendent Michelle Garven is moving on from the Trevor-Wilmot Consolidated School District, which she has led since 2015, to take the helm at the School District of Cudahy. Garven was previously an administrator in the Grafton School District and Saint Francis Public Schools. In the same state, Brian Nadeau has been named superintendent of the Ellsworth Community School District, after having held the top spot at Plum City School District for three years.
Steven Yanni, who has led several Pennsylvania districts, has been hired as the next superintendent of the Central Bucks School District. Yanni is now superintendent of the Lower Merion School District and previously served as superintendent of the Upper Dublin and New Hope-Solebury school districts.
Superintendent Philip Benante is moving to New York’s Arlington Central School District from the nearby Haldane Central School District. Chris Fritsch, superintendent of Oregon’s Pendleton School District from 2017 to 2022, has been chosen to lead the Castle Rock School District in Washington.
Superintendent turnover: First-timers
Elsewhere, a fresh crop of administrators, including several female educators, have been elevated to the superintendency for the first time. Montville Public Schools in Connecticut has selected its assistant superintendent, Dianne T. Vumback, as its next leader.
Across the country in Oregon, Suzanne West will become superintendent of the Forest Grove School District after having been an administrator in Salem-Keizer Public Schools and a director of technology and innovation in the Sherwood School District. Also in Oregon, the Hood River County School District has promoted its interim superintendent and former curriculum and instruction coordinator Bill Newton to the top spot.
The Grossmont Union High School District in neighboring California has tapped Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Mike Fowler to replace retiring Superintendent Mary Beth Kastan. Farther north, Assistant Superintendent Troy Oliver will be the next superintendent of Washington’s North Thurston Public Schools after having worked in the district for 27 years.
Superintendent search surveys: The big questions districts are asking their communities about their next leaders
Valley View Local Schools in Ohio picked Andrea Cook as its next superintendent. Cook is now the assistant superintendent of instruction for the Springboro Community City School District. In Georgia, Dalton Public Schools has promoted Chief of Student Services and Activities Steven Craft as its next superintendent.
More new superintendent hires
- Jerrod Campbell, Tenaha ISD (Texas)
- Andrew Doster, School District of Borough of Morrisville (Pennsylvania)
- Tyler Graff, Ross Valley School District (California)
- Jennifer Hayden, Romulus Community Schools (New York)
- E. Xiomara Herman, Amherst-Pelham Regional School District (Massachusetts)
- Gary Lubisco Jr., Somerville Public Schools (New Jersey)
- Luke Lutterman, Triton Public Schools (Minnesota)
- John Mathews, Lumberton ISD (Texas)
- Shaye Murphy, Rankin ISD (Texas)
- Chad Phillips, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (Indiana)
- Dustin Relation, Beekmantown Central School District (New York)
- Mary Morgan Ryan, Paris-Union School District 95 (Illinois)
- Erik Swanson, Folsom Cordova USD (California)
- Bruce Willingham, Kenston Local Schools (Ohio)
Replacements needed
Resignations, retirements and other departures in recent weeks include:
- Tyson Bennett reached a voluntary separation agreement with Sherman ISD in Texas
- Bob Grover resigned from the Chippewa Hills School District in Michigan
- Rick Maxey retired from Horry County Schools in South Carolina
- Raúl Peña resigned from Hutto ISD in Texas
- Marian Kim Phelps was terminated by Poway USD in California
- Superintendent Lane Ledbetter announced he will retire from Carroll ISD in Texas in December
