CLEARFIELD – Although he’s only in the picture temporarily, Dr. J. Thomas Frantz, interim superintendent, doesn’t just “want to be here to be here.” Instead, he has a short-term vision for his approximate five to six-month stay at the Clearfield Area School District.
Frantz was appointed to head the district on an interim basis at a combined committee and board meeting Monday, June 21. He stepped into his new position July 1.
“I want to contribute,” he said, noting he wants the administration, faculty and staff to benefit from his service. He said he plans to take a “hands-on” approach and isn’t “afraid to work.”
He said he’s set three goals as the interim superintendent, stating those were to maintain the district’s regular operations, to steer the search for the next superintendent and to guide the district in its feasibility study.
In an interim position, Frantz said he’s become a “temporary captain of the ship.” He said he will help the district remain stable and carry out administrative tasks that need to be done. So far, Frantz said he’s been impressed with the school district and its staff. He said he’s noticed issues “here and there.” But he said every district experiences those same issues.
He’s also given himself the task to conduct a personal, thorough search for the next superintendent. He said he’s developed a timeline for the superintendent search with the district’s human resource department. According to him, they posted the position internally July 6, which will be followed by paid advertisements from July 9 – 11. He said they’ll complete a mass mailing advertisement to selected Pennsylvania superintendents July 12.
“(In the mailing), we’ll give them all the reasons to bring their family to Clearfield,” he said. He said they’d pitch the community’s close location to Interstate 80 as well as its industry and recreation. Frantz said applications will be due to the human resource department by Aug. 6 and presented to the board Aug. 16. He said they’ll hold a special personnel meeting for the board to review applicants Aug. 19.
At this time, he said they’ll use a rubric scale to narrow their search to six, “solid” applicants. On Sept. 8, he said they’ll conduct the first round of interviews. Frantz said they’ll host a second interview for two candidates that will be a day-long process and incorporate both school personnel and community members. He said they’ll interview the final candidate Sept. 22.
Frantz said he’s proposed they visit the community of the final candidate to speak to those whom are familiar with them. He said they’ll seek information that otherwise wouldn’t be revealed in a recommendation letter.
“I want them to know who they (the candidate) are. I want the district to know who they’re buying,” he said. As of now, he said they have a tentative hire date for Oct. 18. He said they’re aiming for a tentative start date of Jan. 3. He said he hopes to find a candidate who plans to remain in the position for 10 years and beyond. He said he believes the Clearfield district needs “stability and longevity.”
According to him, former Superintendent Dr. Richard C. Makin was great in the position. But he said his stay was short-term, and he’s since moved on. He said the district experiences change each time it sees a newleader.
“Every person has a different mission and goals,” Frantz said. He added he’s also lined up a slate of interviews with the mayor, chief of police and other local leaders to identify the needs of the district.
He continued, “I want to know what they need here. I’m making it a big piece of my job. I want to leave and feel good about the person in place to run this district.”
To begin his work with the feasibility study, Frantz recently toured the district facilities. He said he hadn’t previously visited any of them and offered a fresh set of eyes to each. He said he has previous experience with school building construction and renovation projects. He said he plans to help the district develop a couple scenarios for proceeding with the feasibility study.
Frantz said he doesn’t plan to implement drastic changes, which he indicated was typical of any interim superintendent. But he said he does plan to offer suggestions and ideas to the administration. Frantz said they have more buildings than students and need to determine the best uses of the facilities. He said he’s not sure if there is a “best grade alignment,” however.
He said he’s worked within K-3, K-5 and K-6 alignments and observed some differences. He noted that a quality education isn’t found in grade alignments but in faculty instruction.
“We have great teachers here. They’ll provide the quality education, which will make the difference,” he said.
Frantz said he’s eager to hear the administration’s input on the feasibility study. He said he’s been impressed with their knowledge of the district and its buildings.
But he said he does not only want to determine the best use of the buildings, but also what is the most cognizant for the taxpayers and the overall best for most.
Frantz has 37 years of education experience, including 35.5 years at Punxsutawney. He said he received all his degrees – bachelors through doctorate – at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Frantz said he received his administration certification from Penn State University. He indicated he held a vast background, including elementary education; curriculum development; high school principal; an superintendent.