Five are finalists to be Albion's interim superintendent

The Albion School Board will choose between experience and potential when hiring a superintendent for a one-year interim stint later this month.

Two retired superintendents and three administrators aspiring to new roles will be interviewed to replace departing superintendent Frederick Clarke.

A field of 15 applicants was narrowed down Thursday to Richard Ames, Daniel Heckman, Paula Steele, Maurice Ware and Bobbi Morehead.

“It’s a difficult job to do because you have to think about having someone who is tried and tested as a superintendent so you have a solid foundation during this sort of transition period,” board president Dan Skean said. “But you might see some people who are clear leaders that might be capable of not only providing interim leadership, but applying for the (long-term) position when it’s available.”

Ames and Heckman are retired.

Ames served as the superintendent for Springport Public Schools and Hillsdale Community Schools, and he currently resides in Albion.

Heckman was the superintendent for Plainwell Community Schools for 10 years before retiring in 2006.

He also served as an interim superintendent in the Morrice Area Schools during the 2009-10 school year.

Steele is the principal at East Lansing High School, a school that has earned the U.S. News & World Report “silver medal” designation the past three years for being rated one of the top 3 percent of schools nationwide.

Ware is the executive director of student support services for Battle Creek Public Schools, and he has previous experience as a secondary school administrator and director of alternative education in the district.

Morehead was the principal at WK Kellogg Middle School in Battle Creek through the 2009-10 school year.

Skean said the goal is to have someone hired by July 1 “at the very latest.”
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As published in the Jackson Citizen Patriot on June 3, 2011