POLAND — Three finalists in the search for the next Poland superintendent gathered at Poland Seminary High School earlier this week for a three-way interview. A final decision is expected at the end of the week.

Candidates Andrew Tommelleo, Andreas Johansson and Anna Minor were front and center to give answers to questions from the community, staff and board.

For the final round of interviews, each candidate rotated through designated stations. In the school library was one station with the Poland Board of Education in an executive session. The second station was in the gymnasium with the district administration and members of the unions. The final session was in the auditorium with more than 100 community members in attendance.

The community session was run by the Educational Service Center of Eastern Ohio Superintendent Traci Hostetler. She had a list of questions the community had submitted on the website before Monday’s session.

ANNA MINOR

First up was Anna Minor, assistant superintendent of Louisville (Ohio) City Schools. She has served in that position for the past 11 years. Minor was asked about the importance of communicating.

“The priority of my first year is to communicate,” Minor said. “It is also important to listen to what our students have to say.”

She said communication is an interesting subject today. People have favorite ways to communicate and receive news.

“To get information out to the community is important,” she said. “We assume everyone enjoys a digital (format), but many don’t. It will be my job to find out how the people want to communicate.”

Hostetler asked Minor what she would do to offset a possible loss of property taxes, which largely fund school districts.

“We recognize property tax is a burden,” Minor said. “There will be a replacement tax. The governor is working on it. It is a scary time for school districts and it is a critical time. Poland has a healthy five-year forecast, but will enter deficit spending. I would need to look at where to streamline services. We need a healthy bottom line.”

Another important Poland issue is having the seventh and eighth grades in the high school. Hostetler asked Minor how she would make a facility change regarding that issue.

“First I would have to take an audit,” she said. “Obviously (a move to another building) would require a change in transportation.”

Minor said one of her goals is to establish a superintendent/student advisory committee to help address student needs and deal with issues such as AI and setting up guard rails for students in dealing with technology.

Hostetler ended the first session by asking Minor what she would want to hear people say about her at the end of her first year.

“I would like people to say I listen and I am supportive and flexible, and attend events,” Minor said. “As for staff, I would want them to say I am fair and equitable.”

ANDREAS JOHANSSON

Second up in the community session was Andreas Johansson, who serves as superintendent of Newton Falls Exempted Village Schools. He told the audience he came to the United States from Sweden at age 17 and grew up in a fishing village. He has 15 years of central office experience.

“I am super curious,” he said. “You will see me in classrooms or driving a bus. I am licensed as a bus driver. One thing I am not is a micromanager.”

On communication, Johansson said it is important for the community to hear from the superintendent once a week.

“If we set a schedule, we need to stick to it,” he said. “When we make an emergency decision, we need to send it out as soon as we know. We must make the best decision with the information we have. If the information changes, we can change the decision, but it is most important to get the information out there.”

As for how to communicate, he said sending out newsletters can help, but it must have followup. He said people also need to be asked if they are getting the newsletter.

On the property tax issue, Johansson said there is a need to be politically active and to let politicians know your zip code matters. He said engaging voters, educating voters, and sending letters to the governor and politicians are just as important.

“Tax reform is needed,” he said. “We must do the best we can with what we have. We need to keep our kids warm and dry, and pay our staff. There are not a lot of places we can cut. We also have to show the community what we are doing with their money.”

On the AI issue, Johansson said it needs to have a measured look and how it can be used.

“Can AI write a five-page report for (a student)? Yes it can,” he said. “But is that what you are going to do for the rest of your life.”

He said basic skills like reading cannot be handled by AI. He said it must be taught to students because they will need it to read technology generated items and how to do things.

On the seventh and eighth graders moving to the high school, Johansson said he would need to start with the history and culture of the district.

“We have to know why we are where we are today and how we got there,” he said. “Getting buildings back up to speed could be more costly than building a new addition.”

ANDREW TOMMELLEO

The final candidate on Monday was Poland’s Interim Superintendent Andrew Tommelleo.

On communications, Tommelleo said it is important to hear his voice every week.

“We have the Bulldog update, it’s a great system,” he said. “How do we ensure everyone has access to information, not just the catastrophes, but the good things as well.”

He said the key is to communicate and establish trust, for without trust he can’t make things work.

On the AI topic, he said technology continues to grow and students need to embrace it.

“I do a little farming,” he said. “I learned a lot from rural radio about using technology I had never dreamed of, like drones in farming.”

On the issue of facilities and the future of the seventh and eighth grades, Tommelleo said history and finances both come into play.

“What makes Poland unique is we are tied to history and we don’t want to lose that,” he said. “We are going to be limited on funding so we have to compare the cost of renovating an old building or adding on with new construction. We have to walk the old buildings and say ‘this is why we can or can’t do that.’ We have to make a decision sooner or later and we need to show residents why we need this.”

He said for the future, Poland needs to be looking at high demand jobs and how to prepare students for those jobs. He said students need to be pushed and teachers need support to be able to push them so they can be on top of their game.

In closing, Tommelleo said, “We must make difficult decisions while being transparent. If you make a decision, you have to have checked it out and are willing to stand behind it, even at great risk. We’ll never make everyone happy. I have to stand in front of a mirror and believe this is what I stand for.”

At the conclusion of the three-ring interview process, the Board of Education met with a half dozen representatives from each group to discuss their findings. The board will now carefully consider feedback from the community, district administration and union leadership. The board intends to deliberate and make a decision by the end of the week, according to Board President Troy Polis.

“The staff did a great job setting everything up for Monday’s event,” Polis said. “I couldn’t be happier.”