District consolidates administration

MONROEVILLE — Monroeville Schools is combining the duties of two of its principals and hiring for a PreK-12 grade administrator for the 2025-26 school year. At last month's board meeting, superintendent Kristin Kaple-Jones recommended that the school board approve a PreK-12 grade principal job description. The recommendation was approved. The approval means the district, which previously had an elementary school principal and a high school principal, would have a single administrator overseeing all grade-level students and staff. Prior to the voting, several community and district members spoke out with concerns related to the district leadership, including Scott Bauer, president of the Monroeville Teachers Association. Scott Bauer shared a document with the board with research on why a single principal would ultimately hurt the district. "With the unprecedented turnover in staff and the serious issues we face as a district, we feel this is not the appropriate time for an experiment in building leadership," he said. "With challenges in the areas of student performance, a stringent evaluation regimen, at least seven new staff members and the ever present need for consistent discipline, the expectation of one individual to oversee all these paramount needs for 13 grade levels is just not a reasonable endeavor." Making their case In the shared document, the association backed its concerns with data from the school district and the Ohio Revised Code. The association's case for supporting two administrators listed five pillars: • The district's academic performance patterns require specialized attention from administrators. • Students are facing a mental health crisis, evident through the loss of three high school students in the past five years. There is also a culture and belonging issue needing attention. • Legal and safety challenges are evident from a teacher currently under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct - The point appears to reference pending felony sex charges faced by Holly Bauer, 42, a district teacher who has no relation to Scott Bauer. Holly Bauer is awaiting trial in Huron County. • The district's staffing turnover requires support and guidance at the elementary and secondary levels. • The implementation requirements of the district's strategic plan needs heavy attention. "We ask that you all read this document and investigate this matter fully before you take any action on a decision that, if made hastily without the due diligence, could have drastically negative effects on the students of Monroeville," Scott Bauer said. "To implement this plan without fully investigating what your teachers believe are dire concerns is unthinkable." The district currently has the PreK-12 grade principal's job description available on its website. It asks applicants to have a valid Ohio principal or superintendent license/certification and a master's degree in educational administration or a related field. Applicants must also demonstrate leadership, communication, organizational skills, strong moral character, and professional appearance and commitment to confidentiality. They must be able to work effectively with students, staff, parents and the community, have a valid driver's license and pass background checks.