Centerburg supt. wants to bring joy back into schools

CENTERBURG — Ryan Gallwitz is still in the honeymoon period as Centerburg’s new superintendent.

In July, he was on vacation at New Smyrna Beach, Florida with his wife. Gallwitz was still the principal at Centerburg High School, a position he held for the last 10 years.

That’s when his phone buzzed. It was a text from Supt. Mike Hebenthal. 

Hebenthal wanted to know if Gallwitz could go to the upcoming board of education meeting. There would be an opening for the superintendent slot and Hebenthal said he and the board thought Gallwitz would fit the position. 

Gallwitz’s plane departed Saturday, so he’d be able to make the meeting. Surprised, he spent that weekend weighing the position.

Eventually, as in leaving his post at East Knox for Centerburg, it was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to let go, he said.

He went to the July meeting and by the end of the week he was hired. 

Being a superintendent is “always something I considered,” Gallwitz said.

Then the question becomes — are the skills and the knowledge there to do the job? 

“That’s the scary part,” Gallwitz said. “I’ve seen just about everything that can happen in schools. It’s the new stuff I’m getting use to.” 

Gallwitz worked at East Knox for several years in a variety of roles before finding an open position at Centerburg.

He then worked, and learned, under Hebenthal.

“It has been my absolute honor to be part of the staff of this district,” Hebenthal wrote in his resignation letter. “Most employees here work not only with their vast abilities but also with their hearts. They give of themselves over and over and many times suffer emotional scars for it.

“Most continue to give of themselves for their students over and over. I am honored to have been a part of their hard work.”

Gallwitz isn’t the only new superintendent in Knox County. Fredericktown Local Schools hired a new superintendent this year with Gary Chapman taking the role in the summer. 

Statewide, there are 65 new superintendents in Ohio this year, according to the Buckeye Association of School Administrators. Gallwitz believes the stress in dealing with COVID was a factor in the turnover among superintendents.

“A lot of superintendents decided they were moving on to something else. Usually there’s only 30-35 openings,” he said.

His new position requires reaching out to legislators, lobbying for funds and even testifying at the statehouse. These are issues Gallwitz never had to handle as a principal.

“I do not find politics exciting, but it’s a necessary evil for the job we’re in,” Gallwitz said. “We have to fight for the public school and stand up for the public school.” 

The pace is “much different too,” he noted. Making sure busses arrived, classrooms are full, addressing issues with students — a principal is making decisions “minute by minute,” he said. 

Being a superintendent, the pace is much slower.

“I don’t have many decisions to make but boy they’re big ones,” Gallwitz said.  “It’s about slowing down and looking at the big picture in terms of the district.

“The entire district, the entire community, everyone you have to rally and slow down and make good decisions.” 

He enjoys the daily operations of being a superintendent, meaning “making this school the absolute very best it can be.

“Our staff expects us to do that. So we can continue to have the best possible school we can have.” 

When being interviewed, the board asked Gallwitz what his goals were for the district.

“The last two years have been incredibly difficult. We have to bring joy back to the jobs that we do,” Gallwitz said. “Teachers should enjoy working with students every day. Parents should enjoy dropping students off and hearing about their day.

“We’re at our peak performance when we enjoy what we’re doing.” 

When that fabric starts to break, “it creates this unnecessary stress,” Gallwitz said.

“We’re a small town, a small community, all one working on a same goal. Will we disagree? Absolutely. But what we have to bring joy back to our jobs. We’re going to be better at the critical work if we enjoy what we’re doing.”