SAUGATUCK, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – The search to replace the Lakeshore’s second longest-serving current public school superintendent is underway.
On Monday, Saugatuck Public Schools announced the framework for finding a successor for Rolfe Timmerman, who announced earlier this fall that he would retire as the district’s operational leader, effective on January 26th. During the monthly meeting on December 18th, the school board will meet with retained consultant Gary Rider of the Michigan Leadership Institute, who in a statement “will explain the process to be followed, describe the development and importance of a candidate profile, and help the Board set a tenative timeline for the search.”
Feedback from parents, students, staff and the community will also be important in the process, with an online survey underway through December 15th on the district’s website, and a community forum slated for December 13th (6:30 PM at the Saugatuck High Media Center) to “gather data for the Board to assist them in developing a profile for the ideal candidate,” explained Rider.
During the September 16th board meeting that disclosed Timmerman’s decision to retire, Board President Jeff Myers said that his colleagues and the superintendent agreed “that the strategic vision for the future of the Saugatuck district would best be served by a leadership change.” It is not known if or when the district will name an interim chief to handle the position until a permanent replacement is appointed.
The 50-year-old Timmerman came to Saugatuck from Hamilton, where he was the assistant curriculum director for K-8 instruction for eight years. With this departure, Dr. Brian Davis remains the dean of local public school superintendents, as he is in his 10th year of guiding Holland Public Schools.
