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Opportunity prompts school board president to step down
Moments after announcing the decision to hire a permanent high school principal, Granville Board of Education President John Steves announced he was stepping down Monday night.
Steves said he offered his letter of resignation, which was accepted by the board so he could “pursue other opportunities.”
The resignation, which came right after the board took the “interim” tag off of Principal James Donnelly’s title, was effective immediately.
Steves said Tuesday morning he had to resign to pursue a job opportunity, because that opportunity was within the school district and he cannot apply while he sits on the board.
Steves said he will be throwing his hat in the ring during the second round of interviews for the recently vacated transportation supervisor position.
The transportation supervisor job opened when Bob Jones announced his retirement in September, but no candidate was hired after the first time the job was posted.
“If I do get it think I would enjoy it and do a good job at it,” Steves said.
After accepting back the gavel she has held for a number of years, board vice president now acting school board president Kathy Nelson thanked Steves for his service to the board. “We deeply regret that you’re leaving, those will be some big shoes to fill,” Nelson said.
Steves leaves the board after 14 years of service.
“I definitely enjoy being on the board, but I also have to think of my family first,” Steves said.
The owner-operator of Hollister Woodworks said he had been considering applying for the job previously and circumstances were right at the time to make the move.
Steves said his wife, Susan, is a teacher at Whitehall who’d like to pursue a career opportunity, “but you still have to make ends meet.”
“She’s thinking about pursuing National Board Certification, but it’s not just her, this looks like it’s a good opportunity for me,” Steves said.
The board found out about the decision during executive session Monday night prior to the regular meeting, he said.
The executive session prior to the regular meeting is something the board tried for the first time Oct. 17.
The change in procedure was one Steves said he brought back from a board member training class. “I think it made it a bit cleaner process, but whether they keep it that’s their decision now,” he said.
Steves said the decision was not an easy one for him.
“I will definitely miss it. For me it was an enjoyable experience. I enjoyed the discussions, I enjoyed the training sessions, the reading and gaining knowledge. I’ll miss the experience and the camaraderie – it was a good bunch of people to work with,” Steves said.
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