Rick Arnett, assistant superintendent of Human Resources for Lake Orion Community Schools, recently announced his retirement with his final day on June 30.

Arnett was with the district for eight years and worked in education for 30 years. In 2020, he was named interim superintendent after the retirement of then Superintendent Marion Ginopolis.

As part of his position, Arnett played a vital role in the connection between central office and staff throughout the district, handling negotiations with LOEA (Lake Orion Education Association) and LOSA (Lake Orion Secretary Association).

“Before he came, (HR) was a bit of a revolving door. And for those of you who don’t know, union presidents, or ‘union thugs’ as some would call them, work very closely with HR. We had good people but we didn’t have permanence; we had a bit of a revolving door. I think we had about five people over five years,” said LOEA President Jeff Faber. “It was exciting to get someone permanent. I did read newspaper headlines about him before he came which made me a little apprehensive about him because he was in West Bloomfield during some challenging times and I was like ‘Whoa, that’s kind of a reputation.’ But I got to know him very well over the years. I appreciate just straight-forwardness. He really showed what his position was on an issue, he wasn’t wishy-washy. Some administrators are a bit wishy-washy and they don’t want to be the bad guy and will dance around it…he did have, in this role, a ton of integrity and selflessness…I’m really going to miss him. He was great to work with I have lots of fond memories.”

With the 2023-24 school year calendar officially starting on July 1, the district has already posted the job on their employment website and is expected to start interviews when they have received an adequate number of responses.

The interview and selection process will be handled by Superintendent Ben Kirby. — M.K.