‘A team effort’ marks superintendent’s career
Retiring educator: Seeing kids’ growth ‘amazing.’
In discussing an educational career spanning more than three decades, Todd Rappold uses the words “team” and “blessed” a lot.
This spring, he will move on after nearly 20 years as superintendent at the Miami East Local School District in eastern Miami County.
He said he’ll spend the initial days of retirement getting away from 90-hour weeks and spending more time with wife Becky, but said he’ll eventually find another path for 10 to 15 more years. The Rappolds have two sons.
A native of Tipp City and 1986 graduate of Tippecanoe High School, Rappold said his years in that nearby school district helped determine his career. He attended college at Bowling Green State University.
“I wanted to emulate those staff members who helped me while at Tipp become a better student, a better person,” he said.
Following graduation, he worked for 10 years as a teacher in the Springfield City Schools before moving to the Sidney schools to serve as a middle school principal for five years.
In 2004, he was hired for his first superintendent role at Miami East.
“Since I’ve been out here, we have had some of the best students in the county, the best parents in the county and just an unbelievably supportive community,” he said.
“That was true in 2004, and it is even more true today. It definitely is a team effort, and we are very blessed to have a great team at Miami East with students, parents, community and our staff. They do a phenomenal job.”
The district has approximately 130 staff members, along with around 1,300 students in a campus of buildings at Ohio 589 and Troy-Urbana Road.
Rappold credits success in the district to a positive attitude and extensive support of academics, athletics and the arts.
“Kids need a little bit of support to be successful, and we are fortunate to be able to provide that support here at Miami East,” he said.
The district has changed over the years since his arrival, when it was struggling financially. Today, it has a “nice carryover, and we have been able to do some things we wanted to do,” he said. “Even when we were struggling financially, somebody always stepped up and helped out.”
He will retire at the end of April, admitting he will miss the job he loves.
“There is no profession where you can make a bigger difference than public education. It is amazing to see the kids’ growth,” Rappold said. “There has never been a day when I pulled into the parking lot where I felt like it was a job or it was work.”