There’s a possibility the next superintendent of Oxford Schools won’t be some outsider to the district or stranger to the community.
Three of the district’s current administrators have applied for the top job ? Oxford High School Principal Michael Schweig, Technology Director Tim Throne and Dr. Jerry Oermann, who services as both the district’s special education director and principal of the Crossroads for Youth school.
A total of 26 candidates applied for the superintendent’s position, according to Carl Hartman, Director of Field Services for the Michigan Association of School Boards, the organization hired by the district to conduct its superintendent search.
‘I’m happy with the pool,? Hartman said ‘I think we’ve got a good quality group. There are a number of folks I think should definitely be interviewed.?
The deadline to apply for the job was April 24.
A 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 1 special meeting of the school board has been scheduled to screen the applications and decide who will be interviewed.
Mike Schweig
‘I think it’s the right time for me,? said Schweig, who’s served as high school principal for nine years. ‘I think it’s a great opportunity for me and for the district to have someone to take us forward.?
Schweig, who lives in Oxford Lakes, said he brings the experience of managing ‘quite a large staff? and dealing with the day-to-day issues that arise at a school. He also has the advantage of knowing many people in the district.
‘I’ve developed some strong working relationships with people here ? fellow administrators and teachers, parents and community members,? Schweig said.
He’s thoroughly enjoyed his high school experience from the extracurricular activities, particularly sporting events, to interacting with students whom he’s always found to be ‘exciting and invigorating.?
But now Schweig wants the chance to ‘affect educational change? throughout the entire district as opposed to just one school.
‘The opportunity to stay in the district, move to a different level and have a similar effect, but be able to broaden it really excites me,? he explained.
Prior to Oxford, Schweig was a high school principal in Wisconsin for eight years and an assistant principal at two other high schools in the Badger State for a total of six years.
Before Wisconsin, Schweig taught in Elba, Michigan for three years. He was born and raised in Lakefield Twp., a small community in the Upper Peninsula’s Luce County.
Tim Throne
Don’t let the title of Technology Director fool you.
Throne knows a lot more about running the district than just how to keep the computers from crashing.
‘I don’t think there’s any other position in the district, besides the superintendent itself, that touches every department and every function so closely than that of a technology director,? he said.
In order to properly support each and every department in the district, Throne has to stay abreast of what’s going on and how they operate.
‘I have to know how that transportation department runs. I have to know how we move kids in and out of the cafeteria. How the student information system works. What’s going on with athletics. What’s going on with extracurriculars. How the business and finance stuff works,? Throne explained.
‘Every department comes to me and says we’ve got to be more productive, we need to be more efficient, is there a better way of doing things?? he said. ‘It’s allowed me to see the district in a different light then maybe anybody else.?
Throne brings something to the superintendent candidate pool that typically isn’t seen ? a successful career in the private sector.
Prior to landing in Oxford, he worked for many years in the business world, where you would expect to find someone with a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration.
It was while working at the Hillsdale-based Data Management Consultants from 1993 to 1996 that Throne had his first interaction with public schools.
‘We were going in and trying to help schools become more productive, more efficient,? he said.
Throne found he enjoyed working with schools, so when his wife’s career took the family to Pennsylvania, he took a job as a technology director with the Riverside Beaver County School District, north of Pittsburgh.
After working there for about four years, the family returned to Michigan and Throne took the technology director’s position in Oxford, where he’s remained for the past seven years.
Now, Throne said he’s ready to ‘get back to my real roots? in business management. He realizes he’s not the typical superintendent candidate because he hasn’t spent his entire career inside a school building. ‘A lot of people say you can’t have a superintendent that hasn’t been a teacher or hasn’t been a building administrator,? he said.
But Throne noted that ?90 to 95 percent of the daily decisions taking place at the board office are business and personnel decisions.?
Throne lives in nearby Attica Township with wife of 18 years and his children Zach, a seventh-grader at Oxford Middle School, Zeb, Krista and A.J.
Dr. Jerry Oermann
Backed by 31 years experience in the education field, Oermann believes he’s ready to tackle some of the ‘difficulties? he sees facing the district.
‘I have no agenda here in terms of what I plan on doing,? he said. ‘I have some ideas, but they’re ideas that need to be explored by talking with personnel in the district . . . I believe I have good ideas and I can do something positive for the district.?
He doesn’t view himself as someone who’s going to come riding to the rescue, solving all problems.
‘I’m not egotistical enough to think that I have all the answers,? Oermann said. ‘A lot of the problems we face these days, they’re just so complex, and the field is so complex, no one person has all the answers. You’ve got to work together to solve problems.?
‘My forte is definitely in working to solve problems in a collaborative and cooperative manner,? he explained. ‘That’s kind of what special education is all about. We constantly have to work with one another to come up with unique solutions to problems.?
Mending some fences would be one of his top priorities if hired as superintendent.
‘I do believe there’s a need to do some improvement in terms of community relationships and staff relationships,? he said.
Oermann would accomplish this by having an open door policy.
‘If you get to a point where people are afraid to talk to you, then it defeats the whole purpose,? he said. ‘You want people to have ideas and be able to share those.?
Serving as Oxford’s special education director for the past eight years has given Oermann a broad perspective on how the district functions as a whole.
‘Because I service all the buildings, I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on what goes on across the district,? he said. ‘What area of education does special education not touch? It’s across the board.?
Prior to Oxford, Oermann spent two years as special education director for Thornapple Kellogg Schools, just south of Grand Rapids.
Before that, he spent most of his career as a school psychologist working for the Genesee Intermediate School District and Flint Public Schools.
An Oxford resident for eight years, Oermann feels he’s earned the community’s trust. ‘I think I have a good reputation within the community,? he said.
Earlier this year, he was elected chairman of Oxford-Addison Youth Assistance.