The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Former superintendent applied to return as CEO
Former Lorain City Schools superintendent Jeff Graham applied to return to the district as the CEO.
It appeared Lorain City Schools’ former superintendent Jeff Graham will be back in the running for the job of chief executive officer of the school district.
On May 8, Graham published “A Personal Update,” a letter to the community of Canton City Schools, where he is superintendent.
After serving a year at the helm of Canton Schools, Graham said he has applied to become the CEO/superintendent in Lorain. He also said he will move from Canton back to Lorain County due to unspecified family circumstances that have occurred over the last six weeks.
“Once this reality became clear to us, I met with our district leadership team and then the Board of Education to share the recent developments in my personal life and how those changes would eventually impact my professional life,” Graham said. “Word quickly spread that I was resigning.
“In the midst of these developments, just last week, I was notified by a board member in the Lorain City Schools that the State was going to post the position of CEO/Superintendent for Lorain City Schools, a district currently under state oversight,” Graham said. “For those unfamiliar with Lorain, it is located in the northern part of Lorain County, and I served there previously, from 2015-2017. He recommended I apply.
“I submitted my application for the position last night,” Graham said. “It’s important to me that I am the one to share that information with you.”
Graham and Canton school board President John M. Rinaldi were not available for additional comment on May 10.
The hiring falls under the jurisdiction of the Lorain Academic Distress Commission. Chairman Randall Sampson was not available for comment on May 10.
The position of Lorain Schools CEO/superintendent is posted online through the Lorain County Educational Service Center. Applications are due May 11.
With Lorain schools under the state’s academic distress rating, the Lorain City Schools Board of Education will not have a vote in appointing the district CEO.
But school board members and Academic Distress Commission members have had discussions about the post, similar to what happened before the appointment of Interim CEO Greg Ring, said Mark Ballard, the school board president.
The Academic Distress Commission and school board are trying to work together for the betterment of the community, Ballard said. They want the next district leader to buy in and have a sense of harmony with the boards.
“I guess, everybody rowing in the same direction, is the way it’s been phrased,” Ballard said.
The position is open to anyone to apply, but the current school board has a lot of confidence in Graham, Ballard said.
Graham applied to be CEO but was not selected by previous members of the Academic Distress Commission. The school board members thought he was doing a fantastic job with plans to improve the academics of Lorain City Schools, Ballard said.
Now that the opportunity has opened up, it would be wise to consider someone that everyone has confidence in, Ballard said.
“His heart has been here in Lorain,” Ballard said. “He really fell in love with Lorain and Lorain fell in love with him. I’m happy he has the opportunity to make a run for it again.”