Thursday, June 25, 2009
By Mary Smith
The board will again seek voter approval of an $8.4 million bond issue in November.
MINERAL RIDGE — The Weathersfield Board of Education has accepted the resignation of Superintendent Michael Hanshaw after five years at the post and 25 years with the school district.
Hanshaw will start Aug. 1 as assistant superintendent at the Trumbull County Educational Service Center, where he will be under a one-year contract at a salary of $93,763.
Hanshaw, who read the resolution to accept his resignation Wednesday, did so with tears welling in his eyes. He told the board, “I’m going to miss the place; it’s been 25 years. I’ll still be here as a parent and will help out in any way I can.”
The superintendent was an English teacher and senior-class adviser starting in August 1985 for three years at Mineral Ridge High School and was then guidance counselor, athletic director and senior-class adviser for eight years through July 1996, when he became high school principal.
He became superintendent in August 2004.
He has a bachelor of science degree in education from Youngstown State University, a master’s in education from Westminister College, New Wilmington, Pa., and certification in educational administration as a secondary principal from Westminster and a license as a superintendent from YSU.
His salary at Weathersfield was $77,540.
Hanshaw said in his official letter of resignation that during his tenure as superintendent two emergency levy renewals were passed and an additional emergency levy was also passed, “which brought financial stability to the school district.”
He said he was most proud of the “hard work and dedication of the administrators and teaching staff,” which enabled the district to advance from the Ohio Department of Education Report Card rating of Continuous Improvement to “Effective,” and has remained “Effective” over the past three years.
Other accomplishments he pointed to: a five-year replacement cycle of textbooks in all disciplines of the curriculum, completion of a continuous improvement plan, a technology plan and a school safety plan that exceed the minimum standards established by the state.
“But most of all, I hope I have made a difference and was important in the lives of the children who attend the Weathersfield Local School District. These students are precious and deserve the best education that can be offered them. Most definitely we offer our children a quality education,” he said.
The board has posted the superintendent’s position on the Trumbull County Educational Service Center Web site and has set a June 29 deadline for applications.
Interviews will begin July 8, and the board plans to hire a new superintendent to start Aug. 1.
Applicants must have a current Ohio superintendent’s certificate and at least three years of administrative experience.
The board is seeking characteristics in a candidate that include the “ability to build positive, trusting relationships with staff, parents and community” and have a “sense of vision” as an educational leader.