Board members choose Kapsa for superintendentby Kelli Cheatham (kcheatham@wsbt.com)
The South Bend School Board has voted to make Interim Superintendent James Kapsa the new permanent superintendent of South Bend Schools. (WSBT photo) SOUTH BEND — The search for the South Bend schools' next superintendent is over. Monday night the School Board voted 4 to 3 to make Interim Superintendent Jim Kapsa the district's permanent superintendent. Multimedia Related Content
Like many school board decisions, this one didn't come easily. The community support for Jim Kapsa came in swarms. "Mr. Kapsa is an individual who can get things done," said one person during the public comment session at the meeting. "We have found Mr. Kapsa to be a capable leader with integrity and trust," said another. But there were also concerns about suspending the current superintendent search for South Bend schools. "We have to wonder what came up in the past couple weeks that made it so urgent to not make this decision seven weeks from now," said former school board candidate Don Wheeler. Seven weeks from now is when two new board members Stephanie Spivey and Roger Parent will replace Ann Rosen and Kim Barnbrook. Both members elect spoke at Monday's meeting. "I think we need to turn the page and move forward so we can be about the business of this corporation," Spivey said. "He's done an excellent job in a difficult transition period," said Parent. After Dr. Zimmerman's contract buyout, the board agreed to hire a national search firm to replace him. But four members agreed to put a vote on Monday night's agenda to permanently hire Interim Superintendent Jim Kapsa. "I was excluded from any discussion for putting this item on the agenda," said board member Ralph Pieniazkiewicz. Pieniazkiewicz, Marcia Hummel and Kim Barnbrook said the other four board members handled the situation unethically. Regardless, in a 4-3 vote, with the three protesting members abstaining, the district offered Jim Kapsa a permanent contract. "I can assure you that I'm going to do my damnedest to make sure that I do more than just an adequate job in this capacity," Kapsa said after the appointment became official. From here, school attorneys will begin working on Kapsa's three year contract. In the state of Indiana, superintendent contracts must be a minimum of three years. Kapsa's new position is effective immediately. Most PopularMore Good Stuff |
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