I applied to be superintendent of Britton-Macon Area School in 1988. I was one of six selected to be interviewed. I had a choice of interview dates and times. I chose the final day and preferred the final time, but that slot was already taken.
I believed that the first and last candidate had an advantage. If you were first and did well, all other candidates would be judged in comparison to you. Going last meant you’d have the last shot to make a good impression. Those in the middle can get lost in the shuffle. I don’t know if that really made a difference, but that’s what I thought.
I got a call at 9:00 o’clock the morning after that 1988 interview. I was sure I was being called for a second. I was very confident and totally surprised when I was told that the board offered a contract to the final candidate. He was interviewed right after me. He came from the upper peninsula, had experience as a superintendent, and he made a good impression, so they offered him the job that night. Otto was the only candidate with prior experience, and they valued that above all else.
It may have happened someplace else, but it’s the only time I know. As I’ve written before, he lasted a year but saved the district because it was in danger of going bankrupt. After much discussion and community unrest, he convinced the voters to raise the operational millage by six to 40.25. It was unquestionably the highest rate in the area, but it was necessary to keep the doors open. The community valued its school, so the proposal passed. The unrest that accompanied the proposal, led to Otto’s dismissal after a single year on the job. No one offered a word of support for the departed leader, but history proves he saved the district.
After he left, the board promoted the high school principal. John stayed for two years before moving on. I applied again. They interviewed and hired me in the fall of 1991. Only a couple of the board members that interviewed me in 88 remained. I started on November the 4th and made a sixteen-year run that I don’t believe will be surpassed. We did a lot of great things.
After becoming superintendent, I gave up the idea of earning a doctorate. I knew the title would open some doors if I ever moved on. To be honest I interviewed for a position within the area but didn’t get it. Over the years, I was asked to apply for three others, but I passed on those opportunities.
The boards I worked with were made up of good people, trying to do the best they could for the kids they served. That’s not true everywhere. Egos sometimes enter into local politics, but Britton avoided those conflicts. We didn’t always have 7 – 0 votes on the issues they faced, but we always had 7 – 0 support once a decision was made. That was worth a lot to me, so I decided moving down the road for a few thousand dollars more wasn’t worth the drive.
I was rewarded for my loyalty when I left the district. Adrian’s Daily Telegram covered the search for my replacement. The evening following the search team’s community visit, the headline read, Britton Wants Another Bob Tebo. That was the greatest compliment I could ever hope for.
I made a lot of decisions between high school graduation in 1965 and my final days in Britton in 2007. Ruth referred to those challenges as “choices”. We all have them. Some are easy to make, and others are more difficult. When you’re married with children you take those people into account. They don’t always like the path you choose and that’s ok. You do the best you can with the information you have. That’s all anyone can do.
There’s a poem, The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost that sums up the decisions I made regarding my education and subsequent career path. Its final words speak to me.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.