MILLBURY – Lake Local Schools has named Marjoe Cooper as its new superintendent.
He will replace Jim Witt, who is retiring July 31.
Cooper is currently principal at Fort Meigs Elementary School in Perrysburg and has been with that district for six years. Previously, he was middle school principal in Fremont for four years.
“I love the challenge that the superintendency brings,” he said. “I think this place is just a fantastic community and I think the resources here – the buildings – are fantastic. … The work that Jim has done here for the last 17 years has been tremendous and I think this place is an absolute gold mine and a place to continue to push forward and be one of the best districts in the state.”
Perrysburg has been good to me and the leadership there is tremendous, he said.
The board hired Cooper April 3 and set his annual salary at $125,000.
“He checked all the boxes,” said board President Brad Blandin. “He’s somebody that has a strong record … he exemplifies leadership, he communicates well with staff and really connects with the kids.”
Cooper earned his superintendent’s license and master’s degree in educational administration from Bowling Green State University and his bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus.
He taught for 12 years in Norwalk and three years in North Carolina.
He and his wife have two children, one a junior and one in sixth grade at Perrysburg. They have discussed moving into the Lake school district but have made no decision.
The board also interviewed Todd McPherson, assistant superintendent at Genoa Area Local Schools; and Andrew Sprang, superintendent at Fostoria City Schools.
“Looking at (Cooper) and the references and the people we spoke to, we felt like he was the right fit for what we have right now,” said Blandin when asked why the board chose someone with no superintendent experience.
Cooper “offers a fresh perspective and the plan to move forward and take us to the next level and build onto the successes we have here,” he said.
The Ohio School Boards Association facilitated the search and identified a quality group of candidates from across the state, according to Blandin.
The process included school and community focus groups, leadership assessments of the finalists, two rounds of interviews and open forums for staff and community members.
