Superintendent Kimberly Pietsch Miller resigned from her position effective Tuesday, Oct. 6 and has accepted a new position as superintendent of Eastland-Fairfield Career Center.
Miller said she applied for this position Monday, Aug. 31. She said that she has worked with career centers quite frequently throughout her career, and this experience was mainly what appealed to her about the position at Eastland-Fairfield. Miller was drawn to the fact that career centers help students prepare for any sort of career after high school and don’t only encourage more traditional routes, she explained.
“I have a real passion for helping students find their correct pathway,” Miller added. “Four-year college isn’t the only passage to success.”
Miller said she believes the district has accomplished a lot in her time at Bexley, so she felt comfortable leaving the district because it is in a good spot moving forward. She explained that many things she was tasked with handling in the district, such as implementing a strategic plan and reorganizing the structure to be more responsive, were fulfilled in her time as superintendent.
Going into this school year, Miller said she did not foresee herself leaving her position at Bexley, and as she began the application process with Eastland-Fairfield, she had no intention of leaving the district at least until the end of the year. However, she explained that the Bexley Board of Education was willing to work with the Eastland-Fairfield Board of Education in order to allow Miller to make the transition this fall.
Bexley Board President Marlee Snowdon said that, although she was not expecting Miller to leave, she appreciated Miller’s willingness to remain at Bexley until a replacement could be determined and trusted her assessment of the situation.
“I was initially surprised by the conversation, but I understand that Dr. Miller is a consummate professional and she felt it was best for her to move on to a new opportunity,” Snowdon said.
Following the news of Miller’s decision, Snowdon said she was tasked with the job of reaching out to the Educational Services Center of Central Ohio. The ESCCO is an organization that assists schools by providing educational services and personnel such as substitute teachers, special education services and interim appointments, Snowdon explained. She said that the ESCCO offered one of their employees, Dr. Dan Good, to fill the role of interim superintendent.
Snowdon explained that the district is fortunate to have Good as its interim superintendent, as he has over 35 years of experience as an educator and has served as superintendent for the Columbus, Westerville and Wooster City School districts.
“One of the great things about having someone of Dr. Good’s caliber is that he will be able to give us thoughtful insight into our district operations and that information will be helpful when we move forward to finding a permanent replacement,” Snowdon added.
Miller said that this choice was not one to be taken lightly and required a lot of thought throughout the entire process. She added that, in the end, it was clear that this was the best professional route for her.
“[Bexley] is my home, and it will continue to be my home, so this was an incredibly difficult decision,” Miller explained. “But when opportunities come and you think you have the skills to do something good, it is important to do that.”
