CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield Area School District Board of Directors officially welcomed Dr. Thomas B. Otto aboard, introducing him as its new superintendent of schools at its combined committee and board meeting Monday night.
Otto will step into the lead position of the Clearfield schools on Jan. 3, 2011, which extends four-and-a-half years, or until June, 30, 2015. He comes from the Bellwood Antis School District, where he’s served as the director of curriculum for the past six years.
“First, the board’s search was very thorough, and it’s been the most exciting of my experience,” he said. Otto said he has been impressed with the district personnel whom he’s met with in person.
Otto soon plans to meet with school officials here to detail the future for him as the new superintendent. He also plans to figure in duties required of him at Bellwood Antis.
According to a prior GantDaily reports, Interim Superintendent Dr. J. Thomas Frantz stepped into his current role July 1. He assigned himself the task of a personal, thorough candidate search. He said 22 applications were received for the position.
Frantz and school officials created and followed a rubric scale to trim their search to “six, solid” applicants. Through a course of interviews, they narrowed the selection in September to two final candidates, Otto and Kent R. Smith of the Conneaut School District.