EV superintendent accepts Michigan job

East Valley School District Superintendent Michael Jones has accepted the superintendent post at a Michigan school district.

The Port Huron School District board of directors voted unanimously Monday night to offer the job to Jones, who has been East Valley’s superintendent for four years.

Jones said Tuesday he will accept the offer, with a salary between $135,000 and $145,000. The amount has not yet been finalized, he said.

“It’s an emotional period for me. Everyone here has been wonderful,” Jones said. His contract will begin July 1, he said.

Jones was chosen as one of two finalists for the Port Huron job from a field of six last month. Last week Jones was named the only remaining candidate for the job, after the other candidate, a superintendent in Sturgis, Mich., withdrew his name.

Port Huron is a 12,000-student district 50 miles northeast of downtown Detroit.

This is the second time Jones, 60, has applied for another superintendent post since arriving at East Valley in 2001.

He applied, but was not selected, for a job at a Lexington, Ky., school district in 2003.

Jones said previously that he is ready to take on the responsibility of a larger district. East Valley has about 4,000 students.

“I’ve been a pretty aggressive person all my life, about doing the right thing,” Jones said. “And in this case I just wanted an opportunity to run a larger school district, that’s it. I’ve always said I’m not unhappy here.”

East Valley was Jones’ first superintendent position. He previously worked in business administration for Seattle Public Schools.

“It’s been a long process for him and a long wait to find out whether he would be going,” said June Sine, East Valley School Board chairwoman. “I think we were all kind of speculating that he would be leaving.”

“We wish to thank him for his years of service here. He’s done some great things for us,” Sine added. “We wish him well.”

Jones has been instrumental in helping to improve the district’s financial stability.

When he was hired, the district was operating on rainy day funds of about $900,000.

In recent years East Valley has struggled with shrinking enrollment, higher expenses and a decline in state funding. Last year, 12 teachers were laid off, but the district was able to hire back all but four.

This year, the district has sustained a fund balance of about $2.2 million, with no staff layoffs.

Sine said the board has not discussed how to proceed with a superintendent search.

“At this late date, and I’m making an assumption here, but in these kinds of cases districts will go for an interim superintendent, then go into a full search after the summer is over,” Sine said.

She didn’t know whether an interim superintendent would come from inside the district or outside.

“There are a number of ways we could go. We just haven’t had time to talk about that yet,” Sine said.