DeTour principal selected to be next Cheboygan superintendent
CHEBOYGAN — On Monday night, the Cheboygan Area Schools Board of Education answered the question that’s been plaguing them and the district all school year: Who will be the next superintendent?
At Monday's meeting, the board voted to offer employment to Spencer Byrd, the current principal of DeTour Schools and the athletic director of a cooperative athletic department with DeTour and Cedarville high schools.
Byrd has worked in education for more than 30 years. His teaching career began at Jackson Northwest before moving to the suburbs of Chicago, where he worked as a teacher for 15 years while coaching three sports. He’s also worked as an assistant principal, principal and superintendent at various school districts throughout Illinois and Michigan.
The search began during summer 2022 after current Superintendent Paul Clark announced his retirement, effective June 30 of this year.
During his first interview with the board, Byrd said that while he was old enough to retire, he thinks he has more to give to education. In addition, he has two children in high school and will likely not be retiring until they graduate.
More:Cheboygan Area Schools superintendent announces retirement
“I have a lot of energy and passion for education — I still think I have a lot to offer,” he said in the interview.
During Monday’s meeting, the board complimented his balance in supporting academics and extracurriculars, and his interest in a personal system of accountability.
The board also spoke positively about him having a plan for his first 30-60 days as superintendent.
The board ended up voting to offer the position to Byrd, with five board members voting yes, one, trustee Roger Cronk, voting no, and one, Carmela Boyd, absent. He would start July 1, contingent upon passing a criminal background check and a negotiation of contract.
During the meeting, three people spoke in support of Nancy Spray, one of the final candidates for the job. One person read a letter on behalf of the Cheboygan city manager and his wife, Daniel and Denice Sabolsky. Spray currently works as the principal of Cheboygan High School.
Multiple people working with Spray at the high school also spoke on her behalf.
While discussing the various candidates, the board said they thought all three candidates did check off every qualification they were looking for. When it came to concerns about who to bring on, however, the board said they appreciated that Byrd has experience and expertise in looking at budgets and curriculums.
Trustee Roger Cronk spoke in support of Spray, saying she had more experience in education than a few of the district's more recent superintendents. In response, vice president Marianne Ridings said it was important to look at the district’s current situation when hiring a new superintendent.
With the district having multiple people in administrative rolls approaching retirement, Ridings mentioned it would be important to have someone with the ability to step in and help out while looking for those replacements.
“I think that's a big difference because you're comparing the previous superintendents to what the current situation that the district is in right now. And that's not Nancy's fault or hurt her, it's just it is what it is. Whoever we hire, has to have that experience or be able to compensate for,” Ridings said.
The board opened the internal applications in October and opened the search externally in December. The interview process began in January. Five candidates were brought in for interviews, and three candidates were invited back for second interviews.
Subscribe:Get unlimited digital access to our local coverage
Board president Amber Hansen said Byrd, Ryan Cunningham, Ron Moag and Spray were invited for second interviews. Cunningham had accepted a position with another district prior to the second round of interviews.
After the second round of interviews, all of which took place the week of Feb. 20, the board voted to hold discussion until the regular board meeting because of Trustee Dennis Olsen’s absence. Boyd was not present for Monday’s meeting or discussion.
The next regular Cheboygan Area Schools Board of Education meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on March 20.
— Contact education reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: DeTour principal selected to be next Cheboygan schools superintendent
