Dr. Randy Davis is the next MPS Superintendent

By John Hendler
News Editor

When the Marshall Public Schools (MPS) Board of Education on Feb. 19 finally decided on Athens Superintendent Dr. Randy Davis to be the district’s next superintendent to replace the outgoing Dr. Joyce Phillips, whose contract is up June 30, Vice President Paul Beardslee made the call to give Davis the good news.
Davis, with his wife Pam, were attending a girls basketball game at Athens High School when the call came in.
“The game had just ended and a good friend of mine was telling me that he just bought a 1972 vintage GTO convertible,” said Davis, 51 and Athens Superintendent for six years. “My phone started to vibrate and I knew they (the board) were calling and my friend kept talking and I didn’t want to interrupt him.”
By the time Davis got to his phone, he had missed the call and after trading voice mails with Beardslee, finally got connected.
“I had to excuse myself and go back stage where nobody was at to have this conversation,” said Davis, who admitted being nervous. “It was so much fun and the board seemed to be really enjoying the decision and celebrating along with me on the offer and they put me on speakerphone.”
During the call, Davis told the board that he was “totally stoked” at being selected.
The Web site urbandictionary.com defines “stoked” as "stoked" being completely and intensely enthusiastic, exhilarated, or excited about something.
“The phone call was wonderful and I had a lot of fun on my end, but my wife was down in the concession area, waiting on pins and needles because she figured that was the phone call,” said Davis, who formally celebrated the selection two nights later with his wife and two daughters.
Davis and Morrice Area Schools Superintendent Bruce Burger were the two finalists for the position and during the Feb. 19 meeting, board members commented on how difficult it was to choose between the two men, both of whom, they said, were deserving of the position.
Davis said he was impressed with the way the search was conducted and had high praise for the Michigan Leadership Institute, the firm that assisted MPS with their superintendent search.
“I can’t say enough about Kathleen Booher and Craig Misner and what they were able to do in helping the board reach their decision,” he said.
Davis said that since the board’s decision, there’s been “a lot” going on and not only on the issues related to the job he will be leaving and the new one he will be taking.
“You’ve got the personal side of things and all the things you have to do with your friends and colleagues and what Pam and I have to do about selling the house and moving and buying a house in Marshall.”
Davis and his wife, who have been married for 24 years, have lived in their home for 12 years and have two daughters, Maggie, 24, and Kali, 21. Both live in East Lansing.
“I know the MPS Board is anxious for me to get over to Marshall,” said Davis. “And I’m anxious to be there and be part of the community.”
Davis was in Marshall last weekend to meet with some board members to work out contractual matters and felt everybody was on the same page.
“We’re pretty much in agreement,” he said.
One of the factors that the board mentioned in choosing Davis was his familiarity with the Calhoun Intermediate School District and how he could step right in and get to work.
“Somebody told me the other day that I wasn’t going to have a honeymoon period,” said Davis. “Because I already know everybody and that I’m already working with everybody and that I should just roll up my sleeves and get into it…In a way that makes me feel better because I need to be involved and I need to help the direction that we are going to go in Marshall as soon as possible. You can’t really afford to sit back on your laurels.”
Davis said that he will stay at Athens until the end of the school year, but pointed out that until then, he will be working in Marshall one day a week and will also be in the district for certain events such as board meetings.
“I can’t leave until after my kids have finished the school year and my teachers have been released for the summer,” Davis said he told the MPS Board. “Once that’s down and I feel closure about that, then I can be completely available for Marshall.
One of the more pressing challenges Davis will face when he arrives will be the budget for 2009-10, already projected to be $1 million in the red.
“That’s why I need to spend time in the district between the time I sign a contract and formally get there,” he said. “The decisions right now for districts are what they’re going to do for next year’s budget and that’s a crystal ball a lot of times. Financially, every district is wrestling with what are you going to do operationally that is going to be able to be sustainable over a period of time.”
Davis added that whatever funds the district receives from the recently passed stimulus bill can’t be factored into the budget.
“Even though the stimulus package is out there, kind of looming on the horizon, you can’t really count on that and you can’t build it into your budget,” he said. “You have to do what you need to do based on what you’re currently getting, because that (stimulus funds) might be a flash that comes and goes while you still have to maintain expenses.”
Aside from the budget, Davis said one of the first things he’ll do when he arrives is to talk to as many people as he can and also check out the district’s facilities.
“Generally, the first thing I do is get introduced to people and spend some time listening to what their thoughts are,” he said. “I’ll try not to get too much into the past and I’ll want to know what they hope to see happen…I’ll also get into the facilities right away. The facilities coordinator will be really important for me to walk around with and take stock of our assets and how we’re operating them.”
Another goal, Davis said, is to get in step with the community.
“I want to see where the formal roles are for the superintendent that are already established and also to take a look at informal roles that need to be there,” he said. “Those are priorities for me and it will take some time. It takes time in relationship building to get to the level of community impact that I’ve been able to do here(Athens), and so it’s going to take that time in Marshall. Hopefully, people will not think the world is going to change because I’m showing up because it’s not just one person. It’s what’s going on with the system.”
Davis emphasized that one of main objectives he will have will be what’s best for students and for those who work in the district as well as the district’s place in the business community.
“That’s where I’m grounded at and also not only what’s in the best interest of kids but also, secondly, how do I support our organization to provide that and that includes the people who work in that environment,” he said. “Schools have to be an integral part of economic development in the region. We’re all vested in that. The health of the community, whether it be recreation, social, economic, commerce, all of that, relates to the schools and the schools relate to that. We live and die on whether or not we have the enrollment that we need which means that we have families choosing Marshall as a place to raise their children. On the flip side, people rely on the schools for quality. That’s what primarily draws people into the community. If we’re providing quality service and quality education and we’re taking care of our children and letting them be all they can be, then people see that and they gravitate to that. That then helps the business community and commerce. It’s a symbiotic relationship between the two and I have to be an advocate for that kind of development and growth. For me, when I talk about weaving ourselves into the fabric of the community, it is a tapestry for Marshall and everybody has a role or a piece of that tapestry and that makes Marshall.”