The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
District names new super
Kirtland Elementary Principal VanArnhem will replace Wade
After several weeks of searching, the Kirtland School Board has announced the appointment of Chad VanArnhem as superintendent beginning Aug. 1.
VanArnhem will fill the vacancy created by Bill Wade’s resignation.
The school board began the search process in May after Wade announced that he would be leaving. The board interviewed multiple candidates and engaged various community groups throughout the process.
“I feel so grateful for the opportunity to be the next superintendent at the Kirtland Local Schools,” VanArnhem said. “It is an amazing school district with a long history of educational excellence. I plan to work with the students, staff and community collaboratively to continue to move towards excellence in all areas of our strategic plan. I am even more excited to see our students, staff and parents again in person when we start back to school.”
A Kirtland resident, VanArnhem, has served as the Kirtland Elementary School principal since 2014. In that role, he was a member of the leadership team who developed the district’s strategic plan. He previously served as principal of McKinley Elementary and Royalview Elementary in the Willoughby-Eastlake School District before coming to Kirtland Elementary.
“The idea of continuing to work with all the students, staff, parents and the community that I care so deeply about in Kirtland was a dream opportunity for me,” he said. “I also believe in the work and initiatives that have been taking place in our district and wanted to see them continue.”
After interviewing all interested candidates, the school board unanimously decided VanArnhem brings qualities and experience that would greatly benefit the school district.
“We are excited that Chad will be leading our district as we work to take it to the next level,” said board president Jonathan Withrow. “He has demonstrated his commitment to our community and our schools. He is an outstanding academic leader who will no doubt be an outstanding superintendent of Kirtland Local Schools.
“We are grateful for all the community input and participation,” he added. “It was critical in our decisionmaking process.”
VanArnhem is currently working with the board to finalize plans for the coming school year. They are trying to offer the best course of action for residents and families.
“We are currently working on finalizing the details of our plans for the start of school,” VanArnhem said. “The district will be offering two opportunities; the first is to return to the brick and mortar setting with safety measures in place. The second option will be for students to receive the Kirtland curriculum and instruction at home through remote learning.
“We will be sharing this plan with our parents and community at the end of July,” he added. “There will also be a survey sent out to families to which modality of instruction they will be choosing for their child.”
“It is an amazing school district with a long history of educational excellence. I plan to work with the students, staff and community collaboratively to continue to move towards excellence in all areas of our strategic plan. I am even more excited to see our students, staff and parents again in person when we start back to school.” — Chad VanArnhem, who has been chosens as the Kirtland Local School District