At the end of the School Board’s special meeting/work-study session on Aug. 29 interim School Supt. Tom Riutta announced to the board that he plans to leave his position at the end of January.
Supt. Riutta, 71, who was hired as an interim superintendent for eight months while Supt. Pete Lazaroff was battling serious health problems, instead spent three full years, with the most recent cutoff agreed to as January or June of 2012.
There was no one in the audience at the Aug. 29 meeting, so School Board President Martha Toth said the board decided to cut their discussion short and, instead, put the item on the agenda of the next board meeting, at 7 p.m., Sept. 12, in South Middle School.
“We had no one in the audience that evening (not surprising for our deadly dull policy review sessions!) and felt a little uncomfortable about continuing to talk until we reached a consensus under those circumstances,” Toth wrote in an email to local media on Thursday.
“There was nothing improper about it, but we believe it would be more informative and transparent for the community (or at least you, its eyes and ears) to witness our decision-making process,” Toth wrote.
“So, on Sep. 12, we will discuss our options for a transition and possibly take some action that evening regarding whatever consensus we reach.
“That could range from considering or appointing another interim, to contracting for help to conduct a search for a permanent superintendent, to appointing an in-house candidate outright (with either kind of appointment to take effect early next year), to something else we haven’t thought of yet,” she concluded.
On Friday, Riutta said it’s time for him to retire – something he has done four times in the past. He has spent almost 50 years as an educator, since getting his bachelor of science degree in education from Ball State University and beginning his teaching career in Flint.
He has served as superintendent to seven different school districts over the years.
He said he talked to his wife Bonnie and then made the decision to leave Van Buren Public Schools as of Jan. 27. Bonnie told him she, too, will retire from her curriculum consultant’s position at Belleville High School.
They plan to go to Florida for two to three months, recharge their batteries, and then see what they want to do.
Both of the Riuttas have served as school superintendents and now help out districts with interim stints.
“The majority of the big issues will be over in November,” he said, adding the new BHS buildings will be enclosed and they will be working inside. There are no big votes left for the school board, he said.
“I think they need a five-year commitment for superintendent,” Riutta said, adding he knows what needs to be done.
Riutta said there is a lot of work to do on the test scores.
“I think you’ve got some great potential here. It’s a great place for a superintendent to work,” he said.
“I’m not mad at anybody. I’m having a great time, but I know how old I’ll be in five years,” he said.
He said he doesn’t know what the board will want to do about a superintendent, and may want to do a search, hire another interim or choose someone on staff. He said he’ll be here for five months to help them with whatever they choose to do.
He said he attended the first two in-service days at the high school last week and he is very impressed with the teachers.
He said the new superintendent will finish the new high school and continue work on the curriculum.
“It’ll be a great thing for the community,” he said of the new BHS. And, as far as curriculum, “We were a train headed in the wrong direction and now we’re going in the right direction.
“The district needs stability,” he added.
“I’ll miss it. I like being a superintendent. It has great significance to me,” Riutta said.
The district’s last permanent school superintendent Pete Lazaroff became ill in 2008 and Dr. Linda Olson filled in until former Supt. Larry Tabor was brought out of retirement to serve. But then, Tabor could only work a certain amount of time because of his retirement program and so he wanted to go to Florida that winter.
Riutta said school district attorney Gary Collins called him to ask him to serve as interim for about eight months. Lazaroff’s treatment was going well and they expected him to be back on the job that summer.
“But, he did not do well,” Riutta recalled, and Lazaroff died.
He said Board President David Peer asked Riutta to stay a little longer while the board did a search for superintendent and then Peer asked him to stay until the high school is built.
Riutta said he liked Peer and so agreed to stay longer, but gave January and June retirement dates – and ultimately chose January.
During his stay, Riutta had taken a planned vacation to Florida, approved by the board, with Curriculum Director Peggy Voigt in place as acting superintendent. But, Riutta said, that didn’t work out very well, with him on the phone four hours a day and then having to fly back.
He said it’s time to retire again – maybe just for a while. He said he has stayed out of the interim mix so long that some people think he’s retired for good.