COLUMBUS, Ohio — Michael Collins found Dr. Talisa Dixon’s replacement when she left the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District to come to Columbus.
He’s spent decades helping school districts in Ohio, Florida, Alaska and beyond find future leaders.
Collins says while he’s not been hired to help find the next leader of Columbus City Schools, he says today’s superintendent needs to be someone who is an expert in relationship building and someone who knows how to hire quality people in positions where the superintendent is weak.
“They are the face of that school district throughout that community, throughout the business community, throughout the parent community, so you are really asking somebody that single specialty is will be significantly challenged moving forward. They are really going to have to chew gum, walk and run at the same time,” Collins said.
He also says today’s superintendent is unlikely to stay in the job beyond four years in part because of the pandemic and the job has changed.
“The average superintendent tenure in a major metropolitan area like Columbus is 2-3 years. They have to address a changing school board make up and they also have to address a more vitriol community in some places without losing the most important thing of all how to provide the most educational structural for students,” he says.
Lolita Augustein is president of Columbus PTA.
She says if she could pick the person to run the state’s largest school district it would be someone who already knows the city.
“I would like a superintendent that is community oriented, who wants to be a part of every community,” she says.
Dr. Dixon came to the position at a tumultuous time.
The pandemic created divisions about masks or no masks.
Teachers went on strike for the first time in 50-years over pay and better conditions inside schools.
“We should never have gone to strike. We should have ended it at the table. I don't want to blame Dr. Dixon for that,” Augustein said.
She says Dixon's departure was not a surprise to her.
She says looking toward the future, Columbus needs someone who understands this diverse city.
“I would like for someone who has been in the district before,” she says.
So how long will it take to find the next superintendent? The search firm 10TV spoke with says about 90 to 130 days.
Dixon’s contract paid her $262,520 a year.
She agreed in August to a contract that was set to end on July 31, 2025.
However, there was also a clause in the contract that allowed it to be terminated “upon voluntary resignation.”