Association Names District Superintendents of The Year

The superintendent of the year will be chosen from one of the district winners that include:

District I- Dr. Sharon Johnson-Shirley, superintendent of Lake Ridge Schools
District II- Dr. Craig J. Hintz, superintendent of Warsaw Community School Corporation
District III- James W. Hanna, superintendent of Rossville Consolidated School Corporation
District IV- Dr. Scott D. Hanback, superintendent of Tippecanoe School Corporation
District V- Dr. Robert L. Taylor, superintendent of Lebanon Community School Corporation
District VI- Joe Backmeyer, retired superintendent of Nettle Creek School Corporation
District VII- Dr. Stacey Humbaugh, superintendent of South Gibson School Corporation
District VIII- Dr. Neyland G. Clark, superintendent of South Harrison Community School Corporation

September 19, 2012

News Release

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. –

Dr. Sharon Johnson-Shirley, superintendent of Lake Ridge Schools, was chosen by members of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents as the 2013 District I Superintendent of the Year.

Winners are selected by other superintendents in their district who consider the qualifications and accomplishments of area colleagues and their instructional leadership in a time of limited resources.

Johnson-Shirley has been superintendent of Lake Ridge Schools since 2006.

In her first year as superintendent, Johnson-Shirley was faced with stabilizing the district financially by reducing staff, decreasing spending and removing costly programs that weren’t producing success. During her tenure as superintendent, she has implemented mandatory annual budget cuts ranging from $300,000 to $1.5 million. With support from her leadership team, she was able to transform Calumet High School into the first New Tech High School in Northwest Indiana.

Over a six-year time span, Calumet High School has changed from a school on probationary status to a nationally recognized educational institution for excellence. Implementing academic programs funded by grants helped the district decrease illiteracy rates and increase test scores significantly. Johnson-Shirley is a founding member of Lake Ridge Schools Educational Foundation and the Lake County School Safety Commission.

Johnson-Shirley joined Lake Ridge School Corporation in 1997, serving as assistant superintendent/curriculum director and principal of Hosford Park Elementary School.
She earned her Bachelor of Science and master’s degrees at Indiana University and her doctoral degree at Loyola University.

One of the eight district winners will represent Indiana in the American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year program.

District I Northwest includes: Fulton, Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Newton, Porter, Pulaski and Starke counties.

Dr. Craig J. Hintz, superintendent of Warsaw Community School Corporation, was chosen by members of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents as the 2013 District II Superintendent of the Year.

Winners are selected by other superintendents in their district who consider the qualifications and accomplishments of area colleagues and their instructional leadership in a time of limited resources.

Committed to inspiring and equipping all students to achieve their dreams and enrich the lives of others, Hintz has expanded courses and program offerings available in the Warsaw Community Schools over the last three years. With the help of business partnerships and awarded grants, the district has recently implemented full-day kindergarten in all elementary schools. Warsaw Community High School and the Warsaw Area Career now offer additional AP courses, Mandarin Chinese, dance, culinary arts, biomedical, Project Lead the Way and orchestra.

Hintz has served as Warsaw Community Schools superintendent since 2009.

Hintz is a graduate of Truman State University and earned his master’s degree at Phillips University and an education specialist degree from Western Illinois University He earned his education doctoral degree at Indiana University in 2002.

One of the eight district winners will represent Indiana in the American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year program.

District II Northeast includes: Allen, DeKalb, Elkhart, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, St. Joseph and Whitley counties and portions of LaPorte County.

James W. Hanna, superintendent of Rossville Consolidated School Corporation, was chosen by members of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents as the 2013 District III Superintendent of the Year.

Winners are selected by other superintendents in their district who consider the qualifications and accomplishments of area colleagues and their instructional leadership in a time of limited resources.

Hanna has served as superintendent to Rossville Consolidated School Corporation since 2000.

During Hanna’s tenure as superintendent, his focus has been on increasing resources and technology available to students. Hanna secured 180 computers for the district and worked with his staff to obtain two competitive grants totaling $140,000 within the last year. He was also able to reallocate resources so more of the district’s special education students are served in Rossville Consolidated Schools, rather than being transported to a nearby district.
Prior to joining Rossville Consolidated School Corporation, Hanna was assistant superintendent and director of curriculum and research for Jay School Corporation. Hanna is a graduate of Indiana State University, where he also earned his master’s and doctoral degrees.

One of the eight district winners will represent Indiana in the American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year program.

District III North Central includes: Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Grant, Howard, Miami, Tipton, Wabash and White counties.

Dr. Scott D. Hanback, superintendent of Tippecanoe School Corporation, was chosen by members of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents as the 2013 District IV Superintendent of the Year.

Winners are selected by other superintendents in their district who consider the qualifications and accomplishments of area colleagues and their instructional leadership in a time of limited resources.

In his tenure at Tippecanoe School Corporation, Hanback has led changes to significantly impact technology and its use in all schools. Through partnership ventures, the district ran fiber optic cable to each building, added tablets and interactive white boards to each classroom, added laptop computers loaded with focused software in elementary schools, and built a one-to-one tablet PC initiative in the high school. The technology enhances and supports quality teaching and classroom instruction.

Hanback has cultivated the use of instructional coaches and led the Board of School Trustees to support creating an Instructional Improvement Block to allow daily professional development for every teacher in grades kindergarten through eighth grade.

“This regular professional development time and the sense of collaboration and collective brainstorming have proved to be invaluable to help teachers meet changing demands and adjust to new school initiatives and mandates,” said Hanback.

Hanback has been superintendent of Tippecanoe School Corporation since 2008. He previously served as superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Wabash County from 2005 to 2008, and as a principal for several Tippecanoe School Corporation schools from 1998 to 2004.

Hanback graduated from Taylor University. He earned his master’s degree from Purdue University and his doctoral degree from Indiana State University.

One of the eight district winners will represent Indiana in the American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year program.

District IV West Central includes: Benton, Clay, Fountain, Greene, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Vermillion, Vigo and Warren counties.

Dr. Robert L. Taylor, superintendent of Lebanon Community School Corporation, was chosen by members of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents as the 2013 District V Superintendent of the Year.

Winners are selected by other superintendents in their district who consider the qualifications and accomplishments of area colleagues and their instructional leadership in a time of limited resources.

Lebanon Community Schools Corporation has faced ongoing fiscal challenges and limited resources over the last several years. Under Taylor’s leadership, the district began a collaborative effort to reduce expenditures in non-instructional areas, ultimately resulting in $200,000 saved in utility costs alone. In approaching a $2 million funding deficit, Taylor managed to keep instruction and curriculum as a top priority and educational programming remained unaffected.

Taylor also incorporated a Superintendent’s Community Cabinet made up of community members that proved to be critical to the district’s success. The cabinet was instrumental in promoting the passage of a successful $40 million referendum to modernize and expand Lebanon High School and make other buildings safer and more energy efficient. The district has a 96 percent graduation rate.

Taylor has served as Lebanon Community School Corporation superintendent since 2007. He joined the district in 1994, serving as principal of Lebanon Middle School and then assistant superintendent.

Taylor is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene College. He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees at Indiana University.

One of the eight district winners will represent Indiana in the American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year program.

District V Central includes: Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion and Shelby counties and portions of Grant County.

Joe Backmeyer, retired superintendent of Nettle Creek School Corporation, was chosen by members of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents as the 2013 District VI Superintendent of the Year.

Winners are selected by other superintendents in their district who consider the qualifications and accomplishments of area colleagues and their instructional leadership in a time of limited resources.

Backmeyer served as superintendent at Nettle Creek School Corporation from 1996 until his retirement in 2012. Prior to becoming superintendent he was an associate principal for six years.

Although limited resources are common in this rural district with 1,156 students, Backmeyer seeks out input from school employees, students, parents and community members whenever budget cuts are necessary. He has made it a priority to maintain fine arts, physical education, co-curricular and strong academic programs despite financial constraints.

Backmeyer earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Butler University and his Ed. S. degree at Ball State University.

One of the eight district winners will represent Indiana in the American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year program.

District VI East Central includes: Adams, Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Henry, Jay, Madison, Randolph, Rush, Union, Wayne and Wells counties.

Dr. Stacey Humbaugh, superintendent of South Gibson School Corporation, was chosen by members of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents as the 2013 District VII Superintendent of the Year.

Winners are selected by other superintendents in their district who consider the qualifications and accomplishments of area colleagues and their instructional leadership during a time of limited resources.

Humbaugh has had to make budget cuts six of the seven years she has been superintendent at South Gibson, an exercise that prepared the district for the economic downturn. Humbaugh and her administrative team made the cuts with the least possible impact on academics. South Gibson School Corporation maintains high test scores, a four-star school status and approximately 90 percent of its graduates attend post-secondary institutions. The district’s high academics and educational programming have attracted 101 non-resident transfer students this school year.

With a very small administrative staff serving 2,000 students, South Gibson School Corporation has converted to an online application system, food service, maintenance, board agenda, and evaluation system. During the 2011-12 school year, the corporation fully implemented the RISE evaluation process for teachers and administrators. The district has lowered its school tax rate over the past five years, while taking on more debt for repairs to Gibson Southern High School.

Humbaugh has served as superintendent since 2005. Prior to working for South Gibson School Corporation, she was an assistant superintendent at both Goshen Community Schools and Marion Community Schools.

Humbaugh is a graduate of Taylor University. She earned her master’s and doctoral degrees at Indiana University.

One of the eight district winners will represent Indiana in the American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year program.

District VII Southwest includes Crawford, Daviess, DuBois, Gibson, Knox, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties.

Dr. Neyland G. Clark, superintendent of South Harrison Community School Corporation, was chosen by members of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents as the 2013 District VIII Superintendent of the Year.

Winners are selected by other superintendents in their district who consider the qualifications and accomplishments of area colleagues and their instructional leadership in a time of limited resources.

Over the past several years this rural district serving approximately 3,100 students has been faced with diminishing financial support and resources from the state.

“We have always attempted to turn something negative into a positive,” said Clark. “This is especially true when faced with issues impacting services to our students.”

Clark has been a superintendent for 25 years, including 17 years at Harrison Community School Corporation.

“I’ve had the tremendous pleasure of being an educator for more than 40 years, working with the best and brightest in our profession,” said Clark.

During Clark’s tenure, the school corporation has established an in-house professional development center and provided laptop computers to all high school students.

“There is no magical story for being successful; it is a good, old-fashioned southern Indiana work ethic,” Clark said. “We don’t teach the way we did 20 years ago, and the way we teach now won’t be how we teach 20 years from now. We keep our staff focused and provide professional development opportunities so they can learn and grow.”

Harrison Community School Corporation was the first district in the state to have a professional development center in its schools, doing so before the state required it.

“We offer a tremendous amount of dual-credit courses for our students,” Clark said. “We hope to begin offering an early-college program at the end of this semester, which is very unusual for a small rural school district.”

Clark previously served as superintendent for Cape Girardeau Public Schools in Missouri and Bullit County Schools in Kentucky and assistant superintendent for Brown County School Corporation.

Clark earned his bachelor’s, master’s, Ed.S. and doctoral degrees from Indiana University.
One of the eight district winners will represent Indiana in the American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year program.

District VIII Southeast includes: Bartholomew, Brown, Dearborn, Decatur, Clark, Floyd, Franklin, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley, Scott, Switzerland and Washington counties and portions of Greene County.

Source: Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents