Three finalists emerge for open Oxford schools superintendent position
The Oxford school board has selected three finalists for its superintendent position, a job that begins July 1.
On Wednesday, the Oxford Community Schools Board of Education announced that Cormac Lynn, superintendent of the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw; David Raleigh, superintendent of LaRue County Schools in Hodgenville, Ken.; and Tonya Milligan, executive director of K-12 teaching and learning at Columbus City Schools, are finalists for the top position in the Michigan school district.
Superintendent Vickie
Markavitch, who was appointed in January 2023, will leave the post on June 30. Markavitch replaced interim superintendent Anita Qonja-Collins, who was appointed after the sudden retirement of former superintendent Ken Weaver on Nov. 22, 2022.
Stakeholder meetings with each finalist will be held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 6:307:30 p.m. at Oxford Middle School Media Center at 1420 Lakeville Road.
Final interviews will be held on April 2. The position pays between $215,000230,000 for the district, which has 5,700 students in preK-12 and 855 school staff members.
A leadership profile report created by a thirdparty firm acknowledged the impact of the Nov 30, 2021 attack at Oxford High School that left four students dead and seven injured, including a teacher.
“Many other students, as well as teachers, administrators, and staff who survived were also victimized that day,” the report says. “The shooting has devastated the Oxford community, causing lasting grief and leaving many questions. This report reflects the aftermath of that tragic day and how the Oxford community and schools desire to find a leader that will help them heal and move forward.”
The shooter, a student at the school, fired his weapon 33 times in the attack that killed Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; and Justin Shilling, 17. He is serving a life sentence.
The district is embroiled in multiple lawsuits from the mass shooting and parents continue to demand change and transparency from school leaders.
Ten lawsuits allege the district failed to protect students and downplayed the threat the killer posed to the school. Oxford students and their families contend in their lawsuits that the district took actions that created or increased the danger that the shooter presented to students and teachers.
In March 2023, Oakland County Circuit Judge Mary Ellen Brennan dismissed all Oxford governmental employees and entities from civil lawsuits relating to the school shooting. Brennan concluded the then-15year-old shooter was the most immediate and direct cause of the mass shooting and dismissed the Oakland County school district and its employees from civil lawsuits.
The school district in December vowed to “update, strengthen and refine” its emergency operations plan annually as part of a list of promises it made to the community in its first published response to an independent investigation into the 2021 deadly attack at its high school.
It also pledged to continue to “review and improve” its threat assessment policies, practices and protocols. The document is the district’s official response to an independent investigation by Guidepost Solutions into the mass school shooting.