School To Hire New Superintendent; Hires Ken Drenth To Assist in Search
By Ryan Schlehuber

Ken Drenth

Interviews for the soon-tobe vacant superintendent position at Mackinac Island Public School will begin Thursday, June 1. Ken Drenth, a retired superintendent from Cedarville, was hired by the school board to conduct the search and recommend a candidate for the job.

The school board, at a regular meeting April 27, hired Mr. Drenth to search for a new superintendent for the school, which enrolls between 70 and 85 students. He was hired for $3,000 to assist the school's personnel committee, which has not conducted a formal search for a superintendent since 1983. Jack Dehring, longtime Mackinac Island school teacher, replaced Gary Urman two years ago and is retiring July 1. Mr. Urman held the position 11 years before accepting the top administrative post at Boyne Falls.

Mr. Drenth, who retired from Les Cheneaux Community Schools in 2000, has been active in community and educational services in the area, assisting several schools in the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District in solving student enrollment and financial issues.

"We felt as a board that hiring Ken Drenth would provide us with a more complete and professional job as far as finding the best applicants to choose from to find the future director or our school," said Board President Ben Mosley. "With Mr. Drenth, he has been able to provide us with a larger pool of applicants."

The school board wants to fill the position by July 1. The salary and benefits, said Mr. Drenth, will be determined by the experience of the applicant.

Mr. Drenth has printed a brochure about the position, the school, and the community.

As of Monday, May 8, eight applications have been turned in to him.

Applications for the position are due Tuesday, May 23. Mr. Drenth will screen the applicants and interviews will be scheduled June 1 through June 3.

School board trustee and personnel committee chair Trish Martin said Mr. Drenth will conduct initial interviews and cut the number of applicants to two or three. The personnel committee, which includes Sara Chambers and Mr. Mosley, will then become involved in the interview process with Mr. Drenth.

Members of the committee will also visit the hometown of each finalist and meet with the applicants' supervisors and staff.