DPS picks next superintendent

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By Anthony Gottschlich, Staff Writer Updated 9:23 AM Wednesday, March 24, 2010

DAYTON — Dayton Public Schools’ next superintendent will be the district’s current No. 2 in command, Lori L. Ward, district leaders plan to announce today, March 24.

Ward, 52, will replace outgoing Superintendent Kurt Stanic, whose contract expires at the end of the school year. School board President Jeffrey J. Mims Jr. on Tuesday credited Ward’s experience, “strong work ethic and sense of fair play” in landing her the job.

“She’s been a real go-to person for a number of years for almost all the departments,” Mims said.

Ward, who for the last three years has managed the district’s business operations among other duties, said she’s committed to building on Stanic’s efforts, improving student performance and making Dayton schools “the district of choice for this community.”

“It’s not going to be easy getting us there; people have to be held accountable,” Ward said. “I’m not one to make excuses — we are who we are in Dayton Public Schools. Now it’s up to us collectively to make the improvements we need to make.”

Mims said the district would retain Stanic through December as a consultant to mentor Ward and help the district as needed. “We want this transition to be as smooth as possible,” he said.

Ward’s three-year contract calls for a starting annual salary, effective July 1, of $150,000, up from $108,000 today, he said. He said Stanic’s pay hasn’t been determined yet, but it won’t be his current salary of $160,000.

Stanic, who recommended Ward for the job, said he’s “very confident she’s going to do an excellent job.”

“My deputies in my last two districts became superintendents after I left. This process does work,” said Stanic, who had been superintendent in four other districts in the Cleveland area prior to retiring and joining Dayton as interim superintendent in 2008.

A Springfield native, Ward joined the district as a math teacher in 1995 after 15 years in private industry, mostly with IBM Corporation as a manager and systems engineer. She became the district’s executive director of information and educational technology in 1999; business chief in 2007 and Stanic’s deputy in 2008.

Ward holds a bachelor’s in business from Central State University and a master’s in computers in education from the University of Dayton. She and her husband, Luther, live in Harrison Twp. Their daughter, Leah, graduated from Colonel White High School and attends Ohio University, majoring in education.

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