Superintendent Search

May 7, 2012

West Bloomfield School District Board of Education has unanimously selected Dr. Gerald D. Hill as successor to Superintendent, Dr. JoAnn Andrees
(pending contract negotiations)

After a several month search for a successor to retiring superintendent Dr. JoAnn Andrees, the West Bloomfield School District is pleased to announce that Dr. Gerald D. Hill, current Superintendent in Glenview, Illinois, has accepted the position to head up our District. Dr. Hill was interviewed by the Board of Education on Friday, May 4 at an open session, along with two other candidates; Dr. Mark Daniel, Superintendent of Dowagiac (MI) Union Schools; and Dr. John Maloy, Superintendent of Aspen, Colorado School District. On Saturday, candidate Dr. Pamela Brown, a Senior Research and Planning Associate in the field of Education (in the private sector, in North Carolina) was interviewed. At a public Board meeting, all candidates fielded questions from the Board that ranged from their relationships with school board members to how each approaches serious budget and educational issues. Dr. Hill stated to the board that he sees himself as Superintendent in West Bloomfield for at least the next ten years.

Following the final interview on Saturday, the Board discussed all four candidates, and unanimously decided to offer the position to Dr. Gerald Hill. Facilitated by Ray and Associates, the search firm hired by the district, a phone call was placed immediately to make the offer to Dr. Hill who accepted the position. President Tobin stated that the acceptance is subject to negotiation of mutually acceptable terms.

Immediately following the meeting at the ACS and receiving the acceptance from Dr. Hill, Tobin stated, "We've interviewed four excellent candidates, any of whom would have served us well. Dr. Hill had, by far, the most experience as superintendent, along with consistency, stability, and work in a community similar to ours."

Dr. Gerald Hill, 60, will retire as superintendent of the school district in Glenview, Illinois, where he has spent the last eight years in that position. Prior to Glenview, Dr. Hill was superintendent in Tinley Park, Illinois for eight years and he stated that both places were "diverse communities, much like yours." Dr. Hill left Tinley Park in 2004 for Glenview, and previously had been Executive Director of Elementary Education, in Garland, Texas and Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, in Rockwood, Missouri. Dr. Hill received Bachelor of Science and Masters degrees from the University of Minnesota and a PhD from the University of North Texas. He began his career as an elementary school teacher in Minnesota. Tobin stated "We've interviewed four excellent candidates, any of whom would have served us well. Dr. Hill had, by far, the most experience as superintendent, along with consistency, stability, and work in a community similar to ours."

Prior to West Bloomfield’s offer, Dr. Hill was also interviewed and selected as one of three finalists in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and as one of eight in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The Board Committee, working with the search firm of Ray and Associates received 47 applications for our Superintendent position. Applying the profile characteristics developed with our community and board, 9 finalists were brought forward whose backgrounds were researched extensively. The Board selected the 4 finalists to interview, based upon the credentials and information provided by the consultants.