BELLVILLE — John Thomas will be the next leader of Clear Fork Valley Local Schools.
The Clear Fork school board voted 4-0 Tuesday to hire Thomas as interim superintendent with a start date of Aug. 1.
The board also approved a consulting contract with Thomas so he can immediately begin working with the district during the transition.
Thomas will succeed Janice Wyckoff, whose contract with the district runs through July 31.
Thomas has 55 years of experience in education, including 50 as an administrator. He has served as the superintendent of Crestview Local Schools, the Alliance City School District and Delaware City Schools.
Since officially retiring in 2003, Thomas has worked as an educational consultant for more than 200 school districts. He has also worked as interim superintendent for multiple nearby school districts, including Mansfield City Schools, Madison and West Holmes.
Thomas also served as an interim elementary school principal for Danville Local Schools in Knox County in 2022. He currently works as an interim elementary principal for Lexington Local Schools.
“His experience and all his knowledge is really going to come in handy and help out the Valley, hopefully move us through some transitions and help us get a full-time superintendent next year,” school board president Brian Johnson said.
Thomas plans to interview every staff member
Thomas said his goal coming in to the district is to meet with every staff member, ask them the same four questions and report his findings back to the school board.
Those questions include:
What are you hoping for in the next superintendent?
If you were in charge, what would you change about the way things work around here?
What would you add that would help make things better for the kids and for you as an employee?
What would you protect from being changed?
“People come in and want to change things,” Thomas said. “This new superintendent that’s coming, what do they need to know to leave alone?”
Thomas learned the four-question strategy from his graduate school advisor. He said it has served him well ever since.
“I interviewed 601 people in Delaware City Schools. It took me a whole year to get through it, but everything I needed to know, I learned by asking,” Thomas said.
“Instead of coming in with a plan that was mine, I came in with an idea of how to find out what was needed by the district.”
For Thomas, being a leader is all about building bridges.
“Relationships are one of the most important things for leadership,” he said.
“I don’t really worry about whether they like me or not as much as whether they trust me,” he added. “I work hard to make sure that people trust me. That’s by being honest, keeping my commitments and admitting mistakes and making corrections. If you do that, I think people trust you.”
Thomas was one of eleven candidates
Thomas was one of 11 applicants for the interim position. The Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center assisted Clear Fork with its search.
MOESC Kevin Kimmel called Thomas an “excellent selection” for the role.
“John Thomas’s background and experience proved to be the difference in being selected from a strong field of candidates,” Kimmel said.
“MOESC appreciated the feedback from the school community and staff in this process.”
Thomas’ contract includes an annual salary of $113,000 for the interim superintendent role. During his consulting period, which will automatically end when he assumes the role of interim superintendent, Thomas will work on an as-needed basis and be paid his salary per diem.
Thomas and his wife reside in Apple Valley, a community in Knox County, but Thomas said he’s long been fond of the Clear Fork area.
He began camping at around age 12 at a Presbyterian church camp near Pleasant Hill Lake. He and his wife have been bringing their family to the area for four decades for camping, canoeing, kayaking and riding along the B&O Bike Trail.
“This is not a new place to us,” he said. “I care about this part of Ohio.”
