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Dayton Daily News...
Fairborn
schools hire ex-superintendents:
Former
Springboro, Greenville school chiefs take jobs as principals
By Jill Kelley
Saturday, April 14, 2012
FAIRBORN — Superintendent Gene Lolli, who resigned from Springboro
Community City Schools in March, has been hired as Fairborn High School
principal.
“I did my homework, and academically Fairborn looks very solid,” said
Lolli, who will start Aug. 1. “I also called a number of people. I
heard nothing but good reports about the student body, and I know they
have a great staff.”
Lolli will replace Principal Bob Cotter, who is retiring from Fairborn
at the end of this school year.
In his 11 years with Fairborn, Cotter took the high school from
“Academic Watch” to “Excellent” on the state report card.
“That was our goal,” said Cotter, 63, who has worked in education for
40 years.
Fairborn Superintendent Dave Scarberry said Cotter has done a
“fantastic job,” and he feels Lolli will be able to continue those
efforts.
While Lolli was superintendent, Springboro High School was named a
National Blue Ribbon School and the district regained its “Excellent
with Distinction” rating.
“Gene’s got experience being a principal, assistant principal, teacher,
coach, all the way down the line,” said Scarberry, noting that Lolli
was one of five candidates for the job. “I just think it’s a great
thing for the children, staff and community that we have a quality
individual.”
Also this week, Fairborn City Schools hired Greenville City Schools
Superintendent Susie Riegle as principal for Fairborn Primary School.
Riegle will take over for Steven Shank, who is finishing a yearlong
stint as interim principal at Fairborn Primary.
Lolli and Riegle will be joined in Fairborn administration by the
former Beavercreek City Schools superintendent, Dennis Morrison.
Morrison is the director of curriculum and instruction at Fairborn.
Although Fairborn may have an unusual concentration of former district
chiefs, the move from superintendent to principal or administrator is
not rare.
“It’s not typical,” said Thomas Ash, the director of governmental
relations for the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, “but
there are a handful every year in Ohio.”
Riegle said she is retiring from her superintendent’s job, after 31
years in education, due to pending changes in the State Teachers
Retirement System of Ohio.
“Fairborn contacted me, and I am really excited about the opportunity
to work there,” Riegle said. “My favorite job of all time has been as
elementary principal. It’s just a great age.”
Lolli has said he wanted to step down as superintendent due to a
difference in philosophy with the school board and because he wanted to
get back to being around kids, as well.
The Middletown resident, who will continue to earn his current salary
of $105,000 annually in Fairborn, served as assistant principal at
Springboro prior to being hired as superintendent.
“I’m leaving some wonderful people (in Springboro), and that’s the
difficult thing,” he said. “I am proud we were able to balance the
budget, and that no teachers were laid off and no academic programs
were cut.”
But he said he is excited about this new opportunity.
“I’m sad to leave (Springboro), but I’m looking forward to getting
started (at Fairborn),” Lolli said.
Read this and other articles at the Dayton Daily News
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