Norwin names McCracken as district's superintendent

The Norwin School Board voted 5-4 Monday to hire Natalie McCracken as the district’s superintendent.

McCracken, an assistant superintendent for the district since 2012, was hired with four of the five members elected in November supporting her. Board President Matt Thomas was joined by fellow first-term members Bill Bojalad, Tim Kotch Sr. and Heath Shrum in voting for McCracken. Raymond Kocak, who has been on the board for 12 years, also voted in favor. Directors Christine Baverso, Alex Detschelt, Shawna Ilagan and Nina Totin voted against hiring McCracken.

“I’m looking forward to working with the board to develop goals for the district, and we’re focused on innovation and growth,” McCracken said. “We have a lot of successful programs that are taking place right now, and we want to build on those.”

McCracken, 53, who has been a district employee for 20 years, noted the Hillcrest Intermediate School Innovation Lab will open in August and the district will look to continue the program at the middle and high schools.

Before becoming the assistant superintendent for elementary education, McCracken was a math teacher at Hillcrest Intermediate School and a principal at Sunset Valley Elementary School.

District Solicitor Russell Lucas will negotiate a contract and salary for McCracken, which would require board approval.

McCracken succeeds Jeff Taylor, who announced in January that he would resign from his superintendent’s job as of June 30. Taylor has taken a position as assistant superintendent of the Carlynton School District.

McCracken’s professional experience and understanding of school district operations made her an exceptional fit for the district, Thomas said.

Shrum called McCracken, a Derry Area High School graduate, “hands-down the best candidate” who was very well-prepared when she interviewed for the position.

Even though McCracken will bring “impressive experience and commitment to Norwin,” Ilagan said she preferred another candidate, whose identity she did not reveal, to bring a fresh perspective to strengthen the district.

“They also seemed prepared to make tough decisions, such as position realignments and reductions through attrition, which will be absolutely necessary moving forward to alleviate the ongoing taxpayer burden Norwin faces,” Ilagan said.

Totin said her opposition was not a reflection on McCracken, but she also preferred another candidate.

Baverso said she believed that the hiring process “became very rushed at the end” and that “some of the best candidates did not go before the (full) board.”

Detschelt said he believes McCracken is qualified for the job, but preferred that McCracken be named the interim superintendent with the board then involved in the hiring process. He said he did not believe all of the best candidates were brought before the board.

McCracken’s hiring as superintendent comes after the board approved a new five-year contract in March for her as the assistant superintendent.

Thomas said she will have the opportunity to recommend the person she wants as an assistant superintendent, which would require board approval. Thomas said he does not have a timetable for that hiring, as the district has to prepare for the upcoming school year.

The board’s decision to hire Templeton Advantage of Newport, Perry County, at a cost of $20,000 to conduct the search for the superintendent was criticized by some board members.

“I was very disappointed in the process,” Detschelt said.

But, Bojalad defended the decision to hire Templeton Advantage, saying it was a robust interview process and a number of good candidates were presented to the board. Templeton also conducted surveys and workshops to determine what people wanted in a superintendent, Bojalad said.

“This was a community decision,” Bojalad said. “It was $20,000 well spent.”

Thomas said Tom Templeton, the search firm’s owner, will continue to work with Norwin in the first year of McCracken’s tenure. This will include an evaluation of the superintendent, Thomas said.