Takes position in Clintonville

By Erik Buchinger

The Clintonville School Board unanimously approved to negotiate an offer that would give interim superintendent David Dyb the permanent position at its meeting on Monday, Oct. 23.

The motion was made by Mark Zachow and seconded by Kris Strauman, and every board member voted to offer a two-year contract beginning July 1, 2018.

“The board decided they wanted to show their commitment to me that I am the person they want in this position moving forward,” Dyb said. “I feel very honored that they chose to go in that direction. It’s exciting, and now is where I really have to roll my sleeves up.”

After being hired as the interim when Tom O’Toole resigned, Dyb said he promised to do the best job he could regardless of how long he was in charge.

“I shared with them from the get go when I was hired that whether I’m with you for 10 months or 10-plus years, you’re going to get 110 percent effort from me every single day,” Dyb said.

Dyb said he felt good about the district after meeting with the board to interview for the interim position in the summer.

“The first indicator was the initial interview with the board when they interviewed me for the interim,” Dyb said. “I felt it was a very positive meeting, and we connected real well, so there was a positive connection with the board.”

In addition to being interviewed for the interim position, he used the interviewing process as an opportunity to get to know the school board as well.

“The board was interviewing me just as much as I was interviewing the board and the district,” Dyb said. “As a professional, you have to know if this is the right place for you and if this is the right opportunity. Do your leadership skills match the direction the board wants to go? I felt mutually with the board that there seemingly is a good fit with my leadership skills to where the board wants to go.”

Dyb said he has been impressed with what he has seen in the community.

“Having the opportunity to reach out to several people in the community and visit with them and hear their support of our school system was another reaffirming point tight there,” Dyb said. “There’s good, solid community support out there for our school system. I was aware of the community and the school and the wonderful opportunities they afford kids and families here. They have a lot going for them.”

After receiving the offer, Dyb sent an email to the school district staff.

“I have observed tremendous commitment from our staff towards our most precious resource – our students and to one another as support of colleagues,” Dyb stated in the email. “It is something we believe in and is demonstrated every day. Thank you for this.”

Throughout his first few months on the job, Dyb said he realized the relationship he had with the staff, community and school board made for a good fit.

“It’s been going treat in all honesty,” Dyb said. “I’ve been very fortunate and blessed to meet some wonderful people in the community and some outstanding educators. They have a tremendous commitment to our kids, and that’s a good feeling. You look for those feel good things in a district. There’s lot of potential here to grow that even further, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to begin that.”

Dyb said he plans to continue to attend school functions and further commit himself to other events in the community.

“That’s just who I am, and I do that not because of my own accord by any means,” Dyb said. “It’s to promote the school 100 percent of the time. I am out there being visible to be that supporter, that cheerleader or whatever it takes to cast our school district positively in the eyes of the community, the parents, families and the businesses.

“That’s a big job and a big responsibility, and I don’t take it lightly. I think that’s one of my strongest attributes. I do like to go out and listen to all aspects of our school community because you have to have that support across the spectrum.”

Dyb said the feeling of having the permanent superintendent position is different, knowing that he now has more job security for the future.

“In some respects, a little bit because you know that you now have some security moving forward, so it takes a little bit of that weight off your shoulders,” Dyb said. “In the same respect, it ratchets up your responsibility that you now have to work toward the things you’re impacting on an everyday basis, and it has some sustainability to it.”

Dyb said he is most excited about having the ability to plan what is going to happen in the more distant future now that the interim tag has been removed.

“The first thing is to help the school, the board and the community to establish a vision for our preferred future,” Dyb said. “What is our direction, and where do we want to go? Once we have that, then I can work to steer us in that direction. We want to identify what is our vision and what is going into our preferred future.”

Dyb said he already sent out a poll to the staff to help identify the district’s key commitments and initiatives.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to continue the work that I’ve been directed to do and keep moving the district forward,” Dyb said. “I do feel very honored.”