Kathleen Carroll
The Brownell Beat
Brownell MS
1st Place
MS Division, News Writing
News Story
Three years after having been voted in as superintendent of the Grosse Pointe Public Schools, Dr. Thomas Harwood has requested that his contract end at its current expiration date – June 30, 2015.
The decision was considered in early December. When asked what factors affected his decision not to stay with the Grosse Pointe Public Schools, he declined to comment, but did share that “we have experienced our share of challenges to keep the school system moving forward.”
The Board of Education put Harwood’s request not to extend his contract to a vote. With one board member absent, the vote was unanimous: 6:0. The result was shockingly different from the close vote that put him into the position to begin with.
Dr. Harwood intends to continue his work as a superintendent in another school district in the state of Michigan.
“I hope that the next superintendent will be here longer to give us some stability,” said Dr. Dib. “I wish him (Harwood) the best in everything that he does.”
Three years ago, Dr. Harwood was voted into the position of superintendent of schools with a final vote of 4:3, according to an article from Grosse Pointe Patch. The vote briefly hung in the balance, as board member Joan Dindoffer who had tried to hold off of making the decision by suggesting a motion to narrow the number of candidates to two. The motion received no support and failed.
Dindoffer tried to pass when it came time for her to vote, and tried to pass until the president of the board told her that they would wait for her word rather than come back to her in a moment. She responded with a “yes” vote, and had to be asked to speak up because she spoke so softly.
Harwood stated in an email that “there comes a time where there is a need for a change to occur and explore other professional opportunities.”
According to an article from the Grosse Pointe South Tower, the search for a new superintendent begins with the Board of Education voting to formally begin a search.
According to Dan Roeske, board vice-president, he says that he would want a search firm with a proven record of successful placement of candidates and who has a robust process that includes stakeholder feedback from the community, staff, students and parents for the Board to consider when making its selection.
Dr. Harwood stated he enjoyed working alongside talented teachers and administrators who work every day to ensure that they are doing the best for their students, that he thoroughly enjoyed involvement with students, and the many programs offered here in the Grosse Pointe Public Schools.
“I hope to leave a legacy of putting forth many positive programs and academic excellence that have truly benefited and extended the opportunities for our students, staff, and families of the Grosse Pointe Public School System.”