TONTOGANY – Students at Otsego Elementary will have a new principal starting late next
month.In its final meeting of the year on Thursday, the Otsego School Board approved Betsey Murry as the
school’s new principal, effective Jan. 20, 2014.Murry is currently the assistant principal at the
school, and will succeed James Garber, the current principal and former Otsego superintendent, in the
post.It was announced late last month that Garber is stepping down, effective Jan. 17, after 6 1/2 years
in the district.“She started in August,” Superintendent Adam Koch said of Murry. “Very impressed by her
dedication and work ethic to Otsego already.”“I heard an administrator from another school district say
we’ve got the top with Betsey,” board member Julie Snyder said.Her salary will be $81,000 annually.The
board also gave a first reading to the 2014/15 High School Program of Studies, which was distributed at
the meeting.High School Principal Kevin O’Shea noted that the new program of studies includes a number
of changes, including alterations to procedures for dropping courses, expected courses by grade level,
changes to science, health and physical education requirements, study hall rules and, perhaps most
importantly, a new class ranking system.“We’re kind of groundbreaking, trailblazers if you will” with
the new ranking system, he said.Under this system, a student’s class rank will be determined by adding
their cumulative grade point average to the number of credits earned, and also adding in their highest
ACT score divided by 10.“It’s extremely unlikely that we kick out seven, eight, nine valedictorians all
tied together” with this system, said O’Shea.This new system with start with the class of 2018.In other
business, the board:• Set its organizational and regular meeting for Jan. 9 at 6 p.m.• Recognized
November Students of the Month: freshman Lauren Gray; sophomore Tyler Weber; junior Josie Limes; and
senior Paige Hill.• Approved onsite district technical service with the Northwest Ohio Computer
Association.• Gave a second reading to the new board policy manual.• Went into executive session to
discuss employment of personnel. No action was expected.