Schools chief applies for job at Westerville

Heuer is one of nine
candidates for the job.

AUSTINTOWN — Schools Superintendent Doug Heuer has thrown his hat into the ring for a post at another school district.

Heuer is one of nine candidates for the superintendent’s post at the Westerville City Schools near Columbus, according to ThisWeek Community Newspapers.

Heuer said Friday that because the Westerville school board has nine people to interview, a move to that district would not come anytime soon.

Heuer, who was recently awarded a new three-year contract after his present one expires in August 2008, said he has informed Austintown’s board that he has applied for the new job.

His first interview at Westerville is today, he said.

Heuer’s two sons live in the Columbus area, and he often travels from Youngstown to Columbus to see them. That’s the primary reason he’s interested in moving there, he said. He has not applied anywhere else.

He said the Westerville district is three times the size of Austintown’s.

“It’s a very fine school district. They were looking at what’s being done in Austintown with academic programs,” he said.

“It speaks highly of Austintown.”

Heuer said there are only eight districts in the state that have more than 4,000 students who have met standards for adequate yearly progress on the state report cards. Austintown is one of them, and Westerville is not. The others are in Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. He said the others are wealthier than Austintown.

“If we’re doing it in Austintown for less per pupil, this speaks highly of the staff,” he said.

Heuer became superintendent at Austintown in June 2005, replacing Stan Watson.

He oversaw the district as it moved up in its state ranking from continuous improvement to effective on the report cards. Right now, the district is very close to being designated excellent. Heuer said he gives credit to the staff.

“I have a lot of good people to work with.”

Heuer said that if he is hired by Westerville, that district will have to negotiate with Austintown on when his duties would start there.

“That’s a long way away,” he said.

Heuer makes $98,000 a year at Austintown.