North Union approved a new superintendent for the school district.
At the Monday board of education meeting, school officials voted to approve Justin Ufferman as the new district head replacing Rich Baird, who announced his retirement last month.
Ufferman will be moving from his current position as principal at the high school and start at the beginning of next year.
“After weighing all the options in front of us, we decided to interview Mr. Ufferman during the Oct. 2 board meeting,” said Brian Davis, board president, in a statement. “It was unanimous after our meeting that Mr. Ufferman symbolizes the type of leader we were all looking for as a superintendent to make North Union the very best school district in the State of Ohio.”
Davis said new leadership is “an excellent opportunity to bring a community together and reinforce the district’s tremendous strengths, culture and values.”
He added the board had two options for selecting the superintendent.
The first dealt with reaching out to multiple professional search organizations that would help gather information on an interim person.
The second was to identify “potential candidates within our own leadership ranks,” he added.
“The board was sent a letter of interest from Mr. Ufferman during our information gathering phase, indicating his desire t apply for the superintendent position,” Davis said. “During our interview with Mr. Ufferman, we were able to see first firsthand why our search committee, and Mr. Baird, recommended to the board the hiring of Mr. Ufferman as principal.”
Ufferman said in a statement that he’s “extremely excited” to serve as superintendent and sees the change as a great opportunity to build on his years in education.
“In my past 19 years in education, I have served in many facets of the school system. I taught middle school intervention and social studies, and served as an alternative education teacher supporting high school students in all core content areas,” Ufferman said. “Then I served as an interim assistant principal and middle athletic director. This experience ignited my interest in administration and led me to pursue a career as an educational leader.”
As a middle school principal, Ufferman said he gained confidence and strengthened his leadership skills.
“When I was asked to serve as the assistant principal at the high school level, welcomed the chance to learn more about the secondary level and expand my knowledge of school infrastructure,” he said. “Serving the high school deepened my understanding of curriculum, and helped me forma 7-12 vision of the instructional and operational needs to optimize student success.”
Ufferman came to North Union in 2021, having served in that assistant principal position at Hilliard Bradley High School. He spent more than a decade in Hilliard City Schools.
“Over the past three years as principal at North Union High School, I have developed a thorough understanding of the culture of this elite district and community,” Ufferman said in a statement. “I have built a strong connection with our high school staff and students, and am looking forward to expanding that connection to the middle and elementary levels. It is an honor to take the next step in my professional career as the superintendent.”
Ufferman said he sees working as superintendent as a way to continue maintaining a strong environment in the district.
“I will continue to examine the needs of the district and will work in collaboration with the board of education, treasurer, administration, staff, students and community to build upon our strategic plan to continue the success and growth of each student we serve,” he said. “I will continue to be transparent and effective in communicating across our community with coffee talks, newsletters and conversations at our student activities. I am ready to build on the strengths of North Union Local Schools, assisting our community as we continue to grow our Wildcat culture.”
Ufferman’s contract was approved for three years and seven months, starting on Jan. 1 of next year and running through July 31, 2027.