The search for a new Interim Superintendent of the Howell School District is over. Dr. Jeremy M. Hughes will fill the position until at least the end of this school year.

A group comprised of three school board members, Michael Yenshaw, Michael Witt, and Michael Moloney, started the Interim Superintendent Search Committee. The committee finds applicants through the Michigan Association of School boards and the Michigan Association of School Administrators.

“We checked with the Michigan Association of School Boards and the Michigan Association of School Administrators.  They maintain a roster of available candidates.  A few were looked at before Dr. Hughes,” Mr. Yenshaw says.

“[Our goal was] to employ an Interim Superintendent to finish out the school year,” Mr. Yenshaw says,”[We were looking for] someone with extensive experience, a strong academic background, and a reputation above reproach.”

The committee appears to have found what they were looking for with Dr. Hughes. He has a Ph.D and  M.A. in educational administration from the University of Minnesota, and has held three other Superintendent positions, with the most recent being in Plymouth-Canton from 2011-2013.

Apart from his résumé, the committee members were also pleased with how he was prepared for the job.

“He had researched the district and was familiar with with the financial and demographic makeup of the district.  He was also familiar with the on-going issue of the former Superintendent and this didn’t deter him,” Mr. Yenshaw says.

Although he is likely to be the Interim Superintendent for the rest of this school year, the permanent Superintendent position is still up in the air.

“He made it clear he intends to depart at the end of his term,” Mr. Yenshaw says.

The separate search for the permanent Superintendent will begin shortly. The School Board intends to start the process sometime after the start of 2015 so there can be someone in place by the end of the school year.

“Most likely, the Board will employ the services of an agency that conducts Superintendent searches,” Mr. Yenshaw says. “We would also like to involve Dr. Hughes because of his experience.”