Indian Creek school officials will start the school year Thursday with no official superintendent.
Former superintendent Tim Edsell departed after nine years as superintendent of Indian Creek schools last month. He took an offer to replace Patrick Spray as superintendent at Clark-Pleasant. With that departure, school officials kicked off the process of finding an interim superintendent, with a goal of finding a permanent replacement before the spring semester, spokesperson Kate Taylor said in an email.
“Tentatively, the position will be advertised from Aug. 7 to Sept. 8. We will ask for community input through a community survey posted on our website and promoted on social media,” she said. “Our desire would be to have a superintendent in place by the start of the second semester. However, our most important goal is to find the right fit for our school system.”
There is no set deadline to hire an interim superintendent, but school board members are currently interviewing candidates for the position. In the meantime, assistant superintendent Andrea Perry has taken over responsibilities of the superintendent position without a change in her job title, Perry said.
“I am trying to help in any capacity I can for a smooth transition to the 2023-24 school year, whether it’s preparing and conducting board meetings, attending construction meetings and being part of those conversations,” Perry said. “I’m also collaborating with principals and Kate Taylor on any communication we’re sending out to the community, and this past week, I welcomed new teachers joining us this year, which was exciting.”
School board member Greg Waltz has been on the board for the last 15 years, including when it approved Edsell’s contract.
“Dr. Edsell had a huge impact on our school district. I believe Dr. Edsell was a well-rounded superintendent with knowledge of all aspects of being a superintendent,” he said.
Edsell left Indian Creek schools during a period of growth he oversaw. In January, school officials added four acres of pasture to expand cattle capacity at the school’s student-run farm and installed a concrete floor in the barn classroom on the property.
Construction is almost complete on a $33.5 million complex on the school district’s campus, including a 68,000-square-foot fieldhouse with space to host tournaments in basketball, wrestling and volleyball, and a 26,700-square-foot 916-seat auditorium with a half-depth orchestra pit, makeup rooms, dressing rooms, a large storage space, theatrical lighting, fly curtain, a scene shop and a green room.
School leaders are looking for someone with vision for the future, and the people skills to work with all school stakeholders.
“We’re looking for someone that can take our school district to the next level. We’re excited about our new projects we’re getting ready to wrap up. We should be in the new fieldhouse and auditorium by mid-October. We want someone who can look at the future and is a good collaborator, who can work with the school board, teachers, students and parents.”
The process of finding an interim position is slightly different than finding a permanent replacement, as the interim superintendent will need to be comfortable leading a school district through a transitionary period, Waltz said.
“It’s a different process. Most of the time it’s kind of a close network of individuals who have been interim superintendents and it’s just word of mouth, and someone might be available to fill in,” he said. “We want to make sure it’s a good fit and they’re comfortable with what’s going on with the school corporation.”
