By TARA HETTINGER
Travis Haire didn’t waste any time in getting to work.
Haire — who was named Greater Clark County Schools interim superintendent Monday — said his first day on the job Tuesday was a busy one, with many meetings and many people offering their services.
“It’s been overwhelming. There’s been a lot of support,” said Haire, who is a Greater Clark graduate. “At the same time, I cannot lose focus that there are major decisions to be made and many difficult tasks” to undertake.
“We really have hit the ground running.”
How long this will last is dependent on when the school board selects a new superintendent to replace Tony Bennett, who was elected to the state’s top education position — superintendent of public instruction — last month. The board is accepting applications until Dec. 10.
Haire said he is not planning on applying for the permanent position.
“It’s a variety of reasons,” he explained as to why he chose not to apply. “I want to make sure it’s the right fit for this community, right fit for the board and the right fit for me personally.”
Haire has worked as the director of student services for Greater Clark since 2006. He will return to that position once a superintendent is hired.
The next hired superintendent will be the fourth one in six years, said board member Christina Gilkey. So, she said it’s important to find someone who will be good and someone who will stay to help GCCS “become everything we should be.”
Board member Becka Christensen said that may take a while. She said she is predicting it will be at least six months until a new superintendent is named.
As for what she is looking for, she said she wants the applicant to have a strong academic background to help Greater Clark improve. She said a start could be having all schools meet Adequate Yearly Progress as defined by The No Child Left Behind Act. Last year, the corporation, as well as 11 of its schools, failed to achieve that.
Another quality that she said would be nice to have is a working knowledge of the budget process. At Monday night’s meeting, the board approved a 2009 budget that will yield about a $2.5 million deficit if the board spends the estimated amount and if revenues stay as projected.
Christensen said the board has discussed soliciting input from community members as to what they would like to see in a superintendent, but did not know when that will happen.
She said she believes Haire is the perfect person for the interim position. She said she feels he knows the corporation well from working there for years and even got more experience as he picked up more tasks while Bennett was campaigning.
“When you look at the issues that Greater Clark County Schools has coming up and all that we have gone through, Travis has been with us for years and he is very knowledgeable about a lot of those,” Christensen said. “To bring in someone new, it would take that person months to get familiar with everything. I don’t think we have that kind of time. There are so many issues facing us quickly.”
On Monday, the board voted 5 to 2 to appoint Haire, with Missy DeArk and Robbie Valentine voting no. Valentine — who is the head of the committee charged with searching for an interim and permanent superintendent — did not return calls for comment.
At the meeting, DeArk said Greater Clark is facing tough times and needs someone with experience. She also said she felt it is unfair to put the school system “in the state it’s in” in the hands of a Greater Clark employee.
Christensen said she’s disappointed the vote wasn’t 7 to 0 in favor of Haire.
Haire said his goal is to leave Greater Clark better off than when he found it.
About Travis Haire
• Haire received his undergraduate degree from Hanover College in 1992 and his master’s degree in education in 1998 from Indiana University Southeast. Haire received his superintendent’s license from Indiana State University in 2008.
• He has worked as the director of student services for Greater Clark County Schools since 2006. He will return to that position once a permanent superintendent is hired.
• Haire served as assistant principal for staff development at New Albany High School from 2005-2006.
• Before that, he was the assistant principal for student development there from 1998-2005.
• His career started at GCCS in 1993, when he worked with the adult education program as an instructor. He later went on to teach at Jeffersonville High and River Valley Middle schools until 1998.
• Haire’s wife, Cristie Haire, is a teacher at Jonathan Jennings Elementary School. They have one daughter, Victoria, who is a student at Parkview Middle School.
Glossary
• ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS (AYP)
Beginning with the 2002-03 school year, the No Child Left Behind Act has required schools to show annual improvements in the academic achievement of the overall student population and subgroups that have 30 or more students, such as groups based on race, economic background and special education.
Scores are given in each of those areas based on ISTEP test results, attendance rates (for elementary and middle schools) and graduation rates (for high schools).
Schools must make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in each area to achieve AYP.
