Edgewood Schools superintendent is candidate for role in another district
Jun. 17—TRENTON — The longest tenured school superintendent in Butler County is seeking a job to lead another school district in southwest Ohio.
Edgewood Schools Superintendent Russ Fussnecker is one of the finalists for the top position at Forest Hills Schools in Hamilton County.
Fussnecker has been leader of Edgewood Schools since 2015 and by 2018 the former Edgewood High School principal had become the most veteran of all public school superintendents working in Butler County due to a wave of retirements and job changes among other area districts.
Springboro Superintendent Larry Hook and Troy Superintendent Chris Piper are also finalists for the role, the Dayton Daily News reports.
Last month, Hook was one of the finalists for Ohio's state superintendent post. Steve Dackin was chosen instead, but then Dackin abruptly resigned at the beginning of June.
This week, some state school board members pushed for Hook to be named state superintendent, but the full state board decided to take more time to determine its next steps.
Fussnecker told the Journal-News on Friday this is the first job he has pursued while being Edgewood's superintendent and that it is no reflection of any dissatisfaction with his current post but rather an opportunity to take on a new challenge.
"Applying for the role of superintendent at Forest Hills provides me with an opportunity to take the next step in my career. It is a larger district, almost twice the size of Edgewood. I have never applied for any other superintendent position outside of Edgewood in the past, and thoroughly enjoy my role of superintendent," said Fussnecker.
"I think we are going in the right direction here and have some great things ahead of us as we continue to focus on the needs of our students. Whether I am selected for the position at Forest Hills or if I continue my superintendent role here at Edgewood, I will feel honored to be able to lead and serve in a community with a student-first focus, providing great educational opportunities for their students."
Forest Hills is a public school district with more than 7,000 students. The district's two high schools are Anderson and Turpin.
The Forest Hills schools' board of education was interviewing the five applicants this week. The board next will select candidates who will continue to final-round interviews in a special executive session scheduled June 23.
Fussnecker is the second Butler County superintendent to seek to lead a new school district this year.
Earlier in 2022 Middletown Schools Superintendent Marlon Styles Jr. was a finalist for the top job at Cincinnati Public Schools. Styles did not get the position and has continued to lead the Middletown Schools, which hired him in 2017.
Dayton Daily News Staff Writer Nancy Bowman contributed to this story.
