Addison school board selects Dan Bauer as next superintendent

ADDISON — In following its timeline of events, Addison Community Schools is right on track for having its next superintendent in place and ready to go by Oct. 1.

Dan Bauer, superintendent at Shelby Public Schools from 2012-18 , was selected by the Addison Board of Education during Monday’s special meeting to become the school’s next full-time superintendent, contingent upon contractual discussions. The board offered Bauer a contract for $135,000 plus cash in lieu after he and Thomas Durbin, head of school at Lenawee Christian School in Adrian since 2013, were the final two candidates to interview for the position.

Since July 25, Addison has been operating with an interim superintendent, Julie Helber, who filled in the leadership role after Addison’s previous full-time superintendent, Daniel Patterson, announced earlier this summer he would be resigning after a little more than one year with the district. Helber is contracted with the district through Sept. 29 and will work with Bauer as part of the hiring process.

Helber and Bauer, along with other candidates for both the interim position and the full-time role, were identified for the district by the Michigan Association of Schools Boards (MASB) and consultant Rodney Green, who last worked with Addison in hiring Patterson as superintendent in March 2022.

After more than two hours of interviewing Bauer and Durbin Monday, the school board went into a discussion period for an additional hour to weigh the pros and cons of the final two candidates. The board members discussed what they heard about each candidate from references and consulted with Green — a former school superintendent himself — as to the best direction for the district.

More: Addison school board names interim superintendent, appoints trustee

In the end, vice president Jennifer Frost made the motion to offer the position to Bauer, which was supported by trustee Scott Williams. The only “no” vote for not wanting to offer the position to Bauer was trustee Josh Perry, who said he felt Durbin’s local connections and ties throughout Lenawee County would be an asset for the district. The motion passed in a 6-1 vote.

In addition to his work at Shelby schools, Bauer has served in administrative positions as interim superintendent, including most recently interim superintendent in Fremont. Previously, he was superintendent in Cheboygan and Saranac, and was principal in Farwell and Baldwin. He also taught for several years and was a business owner.

When asked during his interview if he has any known ties to the Addison community, Bauer said he does not and that his closet connection would be family members residing in Chelsea.

Durbin, meanwhile, is a near lifelong resident of Lenawee County and has spent much of his educational career working for local districts. Prior to his role at LCS, Durbin was principal for six years in Onsted and was assistant principal in Hudson for 10 years. He was also an athletic director and teacher.

“These two were set way apart from the beginning,” Addison School Board President Andrea Woodring said. “On paper, they were pretty much even keel, but once we met them both in person it was a very tight contest the whole time. They both bring a lot of things to the table and would be an asset to whatever community they are a part of or whatever school district.”

Perhaps the tipping point of the board’s decision came down to levels of prior superintendent experience.

When the board formed its ideal vision of a superintendent earlier this summer, the No. 1 priority for the district was finding a candidate who had superintendent experience. Woodring said Bauer’s resume just outweighed that of Durbin’s.

“As we went through (the bullet points of what the board was looking for in a superintendent) I think Mr. Bauer checked off more of the boxes,” she said. “Mr. Durbin is an outstanding leader in his own right; everybody who researched him had nothing bad to say about him. He will bloom where he is, but for where we are at, we are kind of behind the curve right now.”

Bauer and Durbin first interviewed with the school board on Saturday along with three other candidates. During the opening round of interviews, board members asked the candidates questions regarding vision for the school district, communication style, management and decision-making style, along with several others. The candidates were able to offer opening and closing statements.

Addison staff and community members were encouraged to attend each of the interviews and offer feedback on the candidates for the board to consider. An additional set of 14 questions — two questions from each of the school board members — were addressed to Bauer and Durbin on Monday.

Both candidates opened their second interviews detailing their 90-day transition entry plans.

For Bauer, his 90-day plan consisted of three goals: listen and learn all about Addison Community Schools, listen and learn about the Addison community and organizations that serve the school district, and review strategic planning goals.

Durbin’s entry plan, which was detailed in almost a flow chart presentation, boiled down to six essential goals of developing a trusting relationship with the school board; identifying any gaps in school safety, fiscal stability and student growth; establishing a positive school culture; ensuring all students are prepared for the next level of learning; building excitement and continuing to improve; and constructing an enrollment plan with the guidance of stakeholders.

Listen, learn, share, build and plan were additional elements of Durbin’s proposed entry plan.

Bauer, who spent six years as Shelby’s superintendent, said he tends to think in 5-year increments and could see himself staying with Addison for more than five years. Durbin, on the other hand, said a school district’s best results happen because of consistency, and he envisioned himself being Addison’s leader for 12-15 years.

Subscribe Now: For all the latest local developments, breaking news, and high school and college sports content.

“We want a superintendent who is going to stay with us,” Perry said.

“I want to help out. I want to assist the district,” Bauer said. “…I feel like this would be a perfect fit for me.”

Bauer said he gets satisfaction from working with people in education and helping people of all ages grow. He credited his track record of leadership duties and his interest and joy in working with students as well as his mentoring and coaching of teachers and administrators.

The school board will officially name Bauer as its superintendent during its scheduled meeting Monday, Sept. 25, which starts at 6 p.m. in the secondary media center.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Addison school board selects Dan Bauer as next superintendent