001Richmond TV presents This Week in Richmond. Welcome to This Week in Richmond. In this episode, we'll be covering the events from the city of Richmond from February 20th through March 6th. Our guests today will be uh Richmond Community Schools Board of Education President Deborah Michon and trustee Margaret Telto to give us more details on the district's search for a new superintendent. Now, let's see what's going on at Parks and Recreation. Uker night is now held at the Richmond Community Center in BB Park. The next date is Saturday, February 21st. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and games begin at 700 p.m. There is an entry fee of $10. Functional fitness will be happening at the Richmond Community Center every Monday and Thursday. This is a senior fitness class that is meant to be a fun time
002moving around. Classes go from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and cost is $8. Senior cardio drum fit class is a fitness class meant to be rhythm for your body and your heart. Classes will be on Fridays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and cost $8 to enter. Now, let's see what's going on at the Roosevelt Civic Auditorium or the AUT. Drop in pickle ball will be going on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to noon and Thursdays 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Cost is to enter is $4. The Odd will have Tiny Tots open gym. Bring your little ones for a fun, active morning of play. The Odd Gym is perfect for space for toddlers to move, explore, and burn off energy in a safe, welcoming environment. It'll be every Thursday from 9 to 10:00 a.m.
003This is from ages 1 to 40 years old, and cost is $2 per child. Parent supervision is required. Parents must stay and watch their child. Now, on to the Lois Wagner Memorial Library. Uh, senior exercise takes place on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. This is a free program and instructor is there to help guide your movement. Hooks and Needles will be on Tuesday, February 24th from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Bring your supplies and projects. This is meant to uh socialize and share your share with your neighbors. The program is located in the library meeting room. Now, we'll look at the upcoming city meeting schedules. All meetings take place in the city council chambers at city hall unless otherwise specified. The library board will be meeting at the Lois Wagner Memorial
004Library meeting room at 5:30 p.m. on February 23rd. The Tax Increments Finance Authority will be meeting on Wednesday, February 25th at 7 p.m. City Council will be meeting on Monday, March 2nd at 700 p.m. Now for On Your Radar, the Richmond Parks and Recreation Department will be having their annual Easter egg scramble on Saturday, March 28th, starting at 10:30 a.m. sharp. Make sure to bring your own bags. Kids will be grouped into ages and pictures with the Easter Bunny will be placed after the scram take place after the scramble. We'll be right back to talk to Richmond Board of Education President uh Deborah Michon and trustee Margaret Telto about this upcoming superintendent search. Stay tuned. Hello and welcome back to This Week in Richmond. I am joined by the Richmond Board of Education President Deborah
005Michon and trustee Margaret Telto. Thank you for joining us today. >> Thank you for having us. >> Yep. We're here to talk about the superintendent search. Uh so the board recently met on February 2nd to establish the search parameters. Why is now the right time for Richmond Community Schools to embark on this search for a new leader? Well, obviously we need a superintendent. Uh that's one thing. Um also, this timeline now is really good for us. We don't have to rush. >> We can go through this process. We can do it thoroughly. Um because we can get our interviews out. We can get our things, our applications out, our interviews out. Um, and we have time to really look at our candidates, have them come visit our school, um, and all those pieces of it
006so that we aren't rushed to have we aren't rushed to have someone come in >> because we're fortunate. We have an interim superintendent who is serving us and so we have, you know, time to look and we're looking to have someone hired by the 1 of July. >> Okay. So, the board is working with uh Michigan Leadership Institute and regional uh President John Silvery. >> Um how does their expertise change the way the board approaches finding the right candidate? >> Well, it doesn't necessarily change the way it really helps the board. Uh Michigan Leadership is an outstanding agency and they are experts in um searching and helping districts find superintendent. Uh we used them before. or Richmond Schools has used before in a superintendent search. And so, um, they help us. They they basically do
007all the work for us. They they set everything out. Um, they'll they'll collect the resumes and all of that and bring that to us and then we'll be able to go from there and select our superintendent. So, it's very helpful to the board that they're going to do all the work and get it to us. >> That's the best. To me, they're professional at it. They They know where to post it. >> Yeah. >> So, it's already out there. I know our posting is actually already out there. I know it's already out on the MASSP site. It's on the Michigan leadership site and the Michigan uh superintendent site. >> Um so, you know, for us that is to me that's a huge help. I'm not having to worry about where to put it out, how
008to get it out there. um they will screen >> all the all the applications that come in >> so that again if we get 300 >> right >> we're not having to look at 300. >> They're going to take what we have asked or what we've were looking for and they're going to take that group and pull out the ones that they feel match what our requirements were or what we were looking for. Correct. So >> it um to me it just makes it >> it's makes it easier but it's done by a professional. >> Mhm. >> You know they do this like Margaret said they do this all the time. >> Um so I for me that's what I want. That's what I'm looking for. >> Okay. Um you've mentioned that community input is
009a priority. In your uh in your own words, what does ideal superintendent look like for Richmond in 2026? Well, um I laugh because in that survey there's like about 20 20 characteristics and I'm thinking, "Oh, I like I want all of them." Um some main ones for me I I feel really strong about is communication. >> I think we need someone who is a good communicator to all groups. Yeah. You have not only your families, you have your students, you have community. Um, I also believe or I would like to see someone who has a strong uh financial background. Um, right now in the state of Michigan, school finance is a huge huge piece. >> Um, and we're not, you know, we're not getting a lot of answers from Lancing. So, we have to have
010someone who understands that. >> Um, so I believe that's an important uh piece that I would like to see. I'd like to see involvement in the community. Mhm. >> Um you know that you know so that our community can see them >> uh whoever that person may be and know that they're thinking of our students. I I like the academic piece. I want strong academics. I want to see growth. We've talked as a board that we like where we are at right now. >> We want someone that's going to take us just a step up, >> move us a little bit further up the ladder. We need someone with great vision. We had a great visionary person previous that brought us, as Deb said, to where we are today. And we need another great visionary
011person that can keep us moving further and even higher than where we're at right now. That's that's what we need. We need someone with great vision and great leadership to keep us at the top of our game where we're at right now. All right. Uh on Tuesday, February 10th, uh your whole uh you've held uh several meetings at the high school media center. What can uh what did parents and uh community members experience at that meeting? >> Well, first off, we weren't part of those meetings. Correct. Just just so um everyone even out in the public understands that that Michigan leadership that's all part of what they do for the board in that process. So they conduct all of that. the board isn't at any of those meetings and so anything um the survey and
012the um whatever conversations they had those things come back to us and we see what is said um so so we weren't there to know um what the actual experience was I guess >> um >> and the idea behind that is that >> um for all the groups be it teachers uh our administration whatever sometimes it they realize that the board is the top the hiring and firing is you know part of that process and so this way no one felt intimidated >> you know that's why we were not involved in it so it could be very open I know that in talking um with John he was looking at different questions besides what was on the survey >> uh the survey was more characteristics of what we were looking for he did questions I
013know like um what do you think is a challenge in Richmond >> uh he asked questions like that. What uh there's another one that >> basically we in the in the survey and in some of the questions that or statements that people made, we we were able to see some things of what people out in either the community or our staff what they think our needs are um what their wants are. And so we'll put those in our mind as we're going along as we're interviewing and see if they match with the things that we're looking for as well. >> So uh once the feedback window closes uh uh today actually as we release this show uh how do you take uh how do you take all those survey results and meetings and create like
014a final candidate profile? >> We don't do it. >> You don't do it. >> No, that's done by Michigan leadership. Matter of fact, it's already done. >> Okay. Yeah, >> it is actually out there on our site already. The posting is up on our website and the results of the surveys, >> okay, >> are also up on the website. So, if anybody wants to see what, >> you know, what people, you know, said or what they were looking at, the the written comments aren't there. It's just the actual survey itself. But we took when we met with Michigan leadership as a board, we gave our input on things that we wanted for the profile and then the the meetings with with the community. So he >> he put all of those together and then we
015saw them as a board though. we saw them as he put them all together and so we did approve those that yep that looks good and that goes out into our profile. So we did look at at everything we took the things that we said >> that the community stat we also had high school students were part of it you know they were able to talk >> um and tell things. So we did combine >> everything and put that out in our profile. So with the recruitment phase, um the position will be posted on uh February 23rd and until uh April 1st. So are you looking for a local leader or are you casting your net nationwide? >> Well, we I don't I don't know if the term nationwide really >> I wasn't going to
016say no on that part. >> Well, it's it it is put out there in a whole bunch of spots. We we as a board to put something out nationwide was a a little bit of a bigger step >> than we as a board than what we thought that we needed. You know, >> a nationwide search maybe Richmond isn't really the place um that for a nationwide search and local I'm I'm not sure what you mean. local say local southeast Michigan or like >> then then I'm going to say no not just southeast Michigan it's going across it's going all over the state >> but you want someone who has been experienced in the Michigan education system right >> I would say yes I would agree with Margaret I truly because >> just the finances alone
017>> whoever comes in needs to understand that process and you know that does vary from state to state um So, yes, I personally would be looking for someone within the state of Michigan. >> Well, yeah. I don't >> because I just don't think we're going to get anybody. I I don't know. We may >> Oh, we have >> Yeah, >> we have pre there have been um there have been candidates out of state candidates that have >> that have applied and and sometimes there are people that are out of state that >> have had a connection to Michigan at some point in their life and they're, you know, they're coming back to the area. But but I think you you want someone Michigan that also is looking that knows um the the education part, the
018curriculum, you know, things that are happening in our state cuz curriculum stuff is different all around the US. >> May 12th, there's a meet and greet and district tours. Uh when a candidate walks through Richmond Halls, uh what are you watching for with their interactions with students? >> We won't be part of those. >> Nope. >> No. Okay. >> No. um our student board reps, Kelsey McNamera and Elizabeth Schaefer will be part of those. Um and so they they will be able to um >> give us feedback, >> speak to that to us, but no, we won't >> we won't be part of those. >> All right. Um so, uh selection day is slated for May 18th. Uh Margaret, what will be the most difficult part about making that final choice? The most difficult part
019is knowing that you're making the absolute right decision for the district. It's it's going to be a gut feeling that this is the person that's going to take us to where we want to go and hoping >> that you're making the right decision. It it just really that's it. >> I'm with her. >> That's it. Exactly. >> Okay. Uh the new superintendent officially starts on July 1st. What do you what do you think the first 90 days will look like for this person who takes the job? >> I think initially it's going to be a meet and greet. They need to get to know the board members. >> Mhm. >> They need to get to know their central office staff, their administration. >> Um there are some pieces that are going to be out there
020that's around budget time a little bit. They're going to have to It's also depends on if we have passed our bond or not. >> To me, that's that's the biggest that's going to be the biggest >> when the bond passes. That's >> There we go. I like what she said. That's going to be a big a big thing. Um, exciting thing. Mhm. >> Um and and the best thing when someone starts at a July 1 time in a school district is because that is a downtime if you will and it it it enables them to like Deb says with their their central office staff where to to get to know and to get the feel of how everything is running and uh meet administrators and get things ready for when school starts and and meeting
021board members and that kind of It's a really good time to get the feel of everything >> which which really goes back to your first question about why now or or how we're doing it because that allows that person that time. >> Yeah. >> And that's really truly important. Um I think for someone to jump in like now, let's just say >> it'd be extremely difficult. >> Yeah. And Billy is already been very experienced with the school and has been working with us for years. So you know you're you're still in capable hands until the end of the school year. that and not only capable hands with her but with our whole staff. >> Oh yeah. >> Yep. >> They're uh they're they can they can do this. >> Absolutely. >> So for anybody who
022watching who wants to shape the future of the districts, what's one thing they can do today to make sure their voice is heard? >> Well, uh listen or go to the meetings and watch the interviews. Mhm. >> If there isn't any open public comments, they can at least email, send any of us on a board, follow along on our website. Uh the website has a calendar of everything that we're going to be doing. And again, like Margaret explained, everything is open except for that initial uh that initial that we pick the initial candidate. So, it's all public. Uh listen up, listen in, >> give us input. You know >> there the opportunities are there. Come >> come come come come come come come come come come come come come come come come come come come
023come come to the meetings come to the interviews there there are times there you will be able to write down questions that can be given to board members on your feelings about the candidates. There is a time and I believe it is at the second round of interviews that they can if they have a question that they would like to ask the candidate there is a time where that can be done. Correct. So you know do that. This is you know for parents out there our staff this this even the community. Yeah. This person is leading our school district. So >> come and just just at least watch the process and if you've got a question or even after meeting come up to one of us and and tell us what you feel about >>
024one of the candidates you know I mean that's that's the beauty of it say something to us because if you don't we don't know what what you're thinking. Um this is the most important thing that we do as a board member >> is being able to hire the superintendent. only employee we hired. It's the only thing besides >> keeping a fiscally sound budget is hiring a superintendent. It's so important of a job. We take it very seriously and anybody that wants to come along on the ride for us, please come and join us on these interviews. >> We are looking forward to this. I don't know. I shouldn't speak for you, but I know for me, >> I think it's exciting. I'm I'm looking forward to the process and and it's already it's moving already
025on and I'm thinking, you know, now it's out there posted. So, it's um >> it's getting real. >> It's excit Well, yeah, that's what I said and it's exciting. It really really is. >> So, looking forward to it. >> All right. Well, thank you both for joining me today. >> Thank you. We appreciate it very much. Thank you, Jason. >> Very You're very welcome. So, uh you can view you can any information on the superintendent search, you can go to richmond.k12.mi. us. And you can also follow them on Facebook and they'll have updates on there as well. So just make uh uh you'll also be able to catch their meetings on Richmond TV on our YouTube channel and on uh Richmond TV channel 6 in the Richmond area. Thank you for having uh thank you
026for joining us. Have a great day. Heat.