Wendy Somers to retire June 30;
interview process for new superintendent
expected to take place May 21 & 22
By Bruce Rolfe
Galesburg-Augusta Superintendent Wendy Somers has enjoyed many positive experiences throughout her career in education, but she admits her seven years at G-A has been a special time in her career.
Somers, who was hired as the district’s superintendent in 2017, will be retiring June 30.
The school district recently hired Chris Rice from the West Michigan Education Research & Development Foundation to conduct the search process for a new superintendent. Staff and community input sessions were held recently and an online community survey was available April 1-10. The superintendent search timeline will be adopted at the April 15 regular school board meeting and an application window will be April 16-May 10. The selection of candidates to interview will be revealed at a special board meeting May 15. The first round of interviews is scheduled for May 21 and 22 and the second round of interviews along with the first opportunity for the board to select a new superintendent will be June 3, 4, and 5.
Spending more time on a farm she owns on the shores of Lake Michigan near Muskegon, being involved more in her two grandchildren’s lives and spending more time with her two sons, were motivating factors that led her to make the decision to step away from public education as a superintendent.
A recent surgery on her neck and back also prevented Somers from being able to pick up and hold her one-year-old grandson, so once she heals completely, she’s looking forward to take on more grandma roles.
“It’s been seven years of living down here and it’s time for me to go home to family. I have a brand new grandson that just turned one and I’m not getting a lot of time with him. Plus, my granddaughter who is in fourth grade, kept saying I want to go on a field trip with you. So it was time to go back home,” said Somers, who grew up in the Fremont area.
There have been many highlights and a few valleys during Somers’ stay here.
Because G-A is where Somers secured her first superintendent position and she developed many positive relationships, she says the local school district will hold a special place in her heart.
“I’ve been in central office, a curriculum director, middle school and elementary principal. I taught at Central Michigan University. And I had a very inspiring mentor who showed me how to do it well. And I was like, maybe this (G-A) is the other place I need to be, is leading a whole district with that vision of helping kids. I really wanted it. We’re not always popular, but when you know you’re doing it for the best interest of kids, it warms my heart. And when I can help others do it for the best interest of kids, that’s absolutely the best. I think knowing that our kids are going to have that in the future here at G-A is a big deal to me,” points out Somers.
Bond proposals in 2000, 2005, 2006, 2015, and May, 2021 all included the construction of a new athletic complex with an all-weather track, however the proposals were defeated in each election.
Somers admits a big highlight during her time here was watching the community respond to the May, 2021, $14,990,000 bond proposal that was defeated by just two votes (805-803) by passing a similar $16.5 million bond proposal six months later with a larger voter turnout (1176-1032).
“What was important, and this is what I believe about bond projects, is it can’t be board led. It can’t be superintendent led. It really has to be community led,” said Somers, who was hired by the G-A School Board in 2017 when the local school district was making district-wide improvements after a $10,404,882, 20-year bond proposal was approved by voters in May, 2016.
“It’s been amazing. When people talk about us as a family, it is absolutely true. And the community has just been so supportive. We definitely beat the odds with this bond project. So I feel really good that we came together and made that dream happen for kids. We have an amazing principal, administration team. And the board has really supported an increase in teachers’ pay, extra help for kids emotionally and academically. I’m very proud of all that,” continued the G-A superintendent.
Because the bond passed shortly after covid, the unexpected challenge of inflation caused the district to make some adjustments in its wish list. Somers said while the district had to scale back in some areas, the district was still able to deliver what was promised to the taxpayers and school community.
While passing the bond allowed the school district to build new additions and replace an aging athletic complex and football field with a new complex that will allow G-A to host a track meet for the first time in 22 years, Somers is especially pleased with what is happening in the classroom.
She said adding STEAM education to the curriculum, bringing the fourth graders back to the elementary school and renovating the middle school have all been positives that will benefit students.
The departing superintendent feels another positive the district has going for it is teacher retention, which she feels is a reflection of the support the teachers receive at G-A.
“That’s great and that’s a big deal. And it can happen in a small district. I choose small districts because I feel like I can be on the front lines with administrators. If I was in too big of a district, I feel like I would lose that. So being in a small district, I’ve not been disappointed. And I appreciate the board giving me that chance seven years ago. They’ve been pretty supportive,” she said.
The veteran administrator said having the right systems in place that constantly monitors student performance, with immediate intervention has helped student performance. “We’re even bringing it to the middle school and that doesn’t always happen at secondary levels. So I’m very proud of us being able to do that. And again, it’s taken a board of education to support that because it takes some funds.” explained Somers.
She said adding math and reading intervention strategies have been key components to improved student performance. Mental health support has also benefitted students, especially during covid and coming out of the pandemic.
The G-A superintendent adds her administrative team of high school principal Lindsey Newton, middle school principal Amy Pratt and primary school principal Shaun Sportel have done a good job overseeing new practices geared towards higher student performance and the teachers are doing a good job teaching the content.
Funding from the State of Michigan allowed the district to add a school resource officer through the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department, something Somers was been striving for since she was hired by the local school district.
In the near future, there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new multipurpose building that is expected to be completed in early June and was also a part of the bond that was passed in 2021.
On the flip side, Somers admits the pandemic was the biggest challenge she faced during her time at G-A. Both student enrollment and student performance dropped. However she feels small investments in programming, curriculum and training the board felt was important for the classroom is making a difference and student performance is trending back up.
“You can see it on tests that kids who were here are now starting to catch up. Some of them are back to grade level. Some of them will need more work, but they’re all moving. So that’s huge.
And again, that’s that investment that we made because what else are we here for? We need to be ready to graduate. We had a couple of classes who hardly attended middle school because of the pandemic. They missed a couple of their most instrumental years. But we’re getting there,” said Somers.
While the State and County Health Department dictated most requirements during the pandemic, she feels the school district handled the situation well. She admits, however, she wished the school district would have been allowed to be open a little bit more. “But everyone was in the same boat. We all feel that way. Because there is some data that shows schools that were open more are already above the gap. Whereas those of us who are closed more, we’re still trying to get up to where we were,” offered the G-A Superintendent.
Somers feels public education and the role of the superintendent has changed dramatically since she began her career.
She said there’s a lot more attention to have plans in place for student safety. Teacher retention is another area that has changed. She said she never would have thought she would live in a time where she had to compete for a teacher with 10 or 15 years of experience with a surrounding school district. “Typically, they would say, you’ve got 10 years, we’ll give you two. And you just had to be happy with that. It’s hard when there aren’t enough (teachers),” explained Somers, who said a shortage of teachers remains a problem in the State of Michigan. She adds the state has focused on improving schools, which is good. But many times improvements cost money and involves a grant, which requires more management and time because there’s accountability attached to grants.
While she’s stepping away as G-A’s superintendent, Somers isn’t ruling out she will remain retired. She said because she will miss the kids the most, she may consider becoming a principal, an administrator mentor, a teacher coach, or possibly teaching at a local university.
As she gets set to depart, Somers feels the G-A School District is in a good place.
“It’s that sustainability that we stay alive as a district. Hopefully, over time we stabilize enrollment. I don’t want to lose anymore. Because each child impacts classrooms. We have low class sizes because the board invested. I never want to lose those because I think it’s making a difference too. Both relationship wise and with academics. We are definitely better today than when I started. Coming out of covid and with student performance. I think pride. You gotta have fun with kids and I think we’re doing that more than we did when I first got here. We are so much better off with our staff pay, whether it’s our secretaries, our paraprofessionals, food service. We’ve done a good job focusing on that too. And you have to. Part of retention and attraction is money. The other part is being a part of a really cool community. And we are. I’ll miss that part,” said Somers.
Somers said she will miss the people she works and visits with regularly in the district as well as the students.
“Being able to walk down a hallway and say ‘hi,’ and ‘have a good weekend.’ And being able to come around in the morning in a building and check in with folks. My goal has always been, are you good? Do you need something? What can we do? Getting close to my administrative team, my central office team. It’s the relationships. They’ll always be a part of me. And then I hope I never lose that pride in what we’ve done for kids. Especially in both worlds. But really in that extracurricular place where so many kids can find a way to shine that sometimes struggle with school. And that’s really important to me,” offered Somers.
Somers obtained her BA degree in Secondary Education at Michigan State University and later earned her masters degree in Middle Education at Central Michigan University. After numerous positions in the classroom and in administrative offices, she eventually landed in G-A which she said has been very rewarding.
Galesburg-Augusta Superintendent Wendy Somers has enjoyed many positive experiences throughout her career in education, but she admits her seven years at G-A has been a special time in her career.
Somers, who was hired as the district’s superintendent in 2017, will be retiring June 30.
The school district recently hired Chris Rice from the West Michigan Education Research & Development Foundation to conduct the search process for a new superintendent. Staff and community input sessions were held recently and an online community survey was available April 1-10. The superintendent search timeline will be adopted at the April 15 regular school board meeting and an application window will be April 16-May 10. The selection of candidates to interview will be revealed at a special board meeting May 15. The first round of interviews is scheduled for May 21 and 22 and the second round of interviews along with the first opportunity for the board to select a new superintendent will be June 3, 4, and 5.
Spending more time on a farm she owns on the shores of Lake Michigan near Muskegon, being involved more in her two grandchildren’s lives and spending more time with her two sons, were motivating factors that led her to make the decision to step away from public education as a superintendent.
A recent surgery on her neck and back also prevented Somers from being able to pick up and hold her one-year-old grandson, so once she heals completely, she’s looking forward to take on more grandma roles.
“It’s been seven years of living down here and it’s time for me to go home to family. I have a brand new grandson that just turned one and I’m not getting a lot of time with him. Plus, my granddaughter who is in fourth grade, kept saying I want to go on a field trip with you. So it was time to go back home,” said Somers, who grew up in the Fremont area.
There have been many highlights and a few valleys during Somers’ stay here.
Because G-A is where Somers secured her first superintendent position and she developed many positive relationships, she says the local school district will hold a special place in her heart.
“I’ve been in central office, a curriculum director, middle school and elementary principal. I taught at Central Michigan University. And I had a very inspiring mentor who showed me how to do it well. And I was like, maybe this (G-A) is the other place I need to be, is leading a whole district with that vision of helping kids. I really wanted it. We’re not always popular, but when you know you’re doing it for the best interest of kids, it warms my heart. And when I can help others do it for the best interest of kids, that’s absolutely the best. I think knowing that our kids are going to have that in the future here at G-A is a big deal to me,” points out Somers.
Bond proposals in 2000, 2005, 2006, 2015, and May, 2021 all included the construction of a new athletic complex with an all-weather track, however the proposals were defeated in each election.
Somers admits a big highlight during her time here was watching the community respond to the May, 2021, $14,990,000 bond proposal that was defeated by just two votes (805-803) by passing a similar $16.5 million bond proposal six months later with a larger voter turnout (1176-1032).
“What was important, and this is what I believe about bond projects, is it can’t be board led. It can’t be superintendent led. It really has to be community led,” said Somers, who was hired by the G-A School Board in 2017 when the local school district was making district-wide improvements after a $10,404,882, 20-year bond proposal was approved by voters in May, 2016.
“It’s been amazing. When people talk about us as a family, it is absolutely true. And the community has just been so supportive. We definitely beat the odds with this bond project. So I feel really good that we came together and made that dream happen for kids. We have an amazing principal, administration team. And the board has really supported an increase in teachers’ pay, extra help for kids emotionally and academically. I’m very proud of all that,” continued the G-A superintendent.
Because the bond passed shortly after covid, the unexpected challenge of inflation caused the district to make some adjustments in its wish list. Somers said while the district had to scale back in some areas, the district was still able to deliver what was promised to the taxpayers and school community.
While passing the bond allowed the school district to build new additions and replace an aging athletic complex and football field with a new complex that will allow G-A to host a track meet for the first time in 22 years, Somers is especially pleased with what is happening in the classroom.
She said adding STEAM education to the curriculum, bringing the fourth graders back to the elementary school and renovating the middle school have all been positives that will benefit students.
The departing superintendent feels another positive the district has going for it is teacher retention, which she feels is a reflection of the support the teachers receive at G-A.
“That’s great and that’s a big deal. And it can happen in a small district. I choose small districts because I feel like I can be on the front lines with administrators. If I was in too big of a district, I feel like I would lose that. So being in a small district, I’ve not been disappointed. And I appreciate the board giving me that chance seven years ago. They’ve been pretty supportive,” she said.
The veteran administrator said having the right systems in place that constantly monitors student performance, with immediate intervention has helped student performance. “We’re even bringing it to the middle school and that doesn’t always happen at secondary levels. So I’m very proud of us being able to do that. And again, it’s taken a board of education to support that because it takes some funds.” explained Somers.
She said adding math and reading intervention strategies have been key components to improved student performance. Mental health support has also benefitted students, especially during covid and coming out of the pandemic.
The G-A superintendent adds her administrative team of high school principal Lindsey Newton, middle school principal Amy Pratt and primary school principal Shaun Sportel have done a good job overseeing new practices geared towards higher student performance and the teachers are doing a good job teaching the content.
Funding from the State of Michigan allowed the district to add a school resource officer through the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department, something Somers was been striving for since she was hired by the local school district.
In the near future, there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new multipurpose building that is expected to be completed in early June and was also a part of the bond that was passed in 2021.
On the flip side, Somers admits the pandemic was the biggest challenge she faced during her time at G-A. Both student enrollment and student performance dropped. However she feels small investments in programming, curriculum and training the board felt was important for the classroom is making a difference and student performance is trending back up.
“You can see it on tests that kids who were here are now starting to catch up. Some of them are back to grade level. Some of them will need more work, but they’re all moving. So that’s huge.
And again, that’s that investment that we made because what else are we here for? We need to be ready to graduate. We had a couple of classes who hardly attended middle school because of the pandemic. They missed a couple of their most instrumental years. But we’re getting there,” said Somers.
While the State and County Health Department dictated most requirements during the pandemic, she feels the school district handled the situation well. She admits, however, she wished the school district would have been allowed to be open a little bit more. “But everyone was in the same boat. We all feel that way. Because there is some data that shows schools that were open more are already above the gap. Whereas those of us who are closed more, we’re still trying to get up to where we were,” offered the G-A Superintendent.
Somers feels public education and the role of the superintendent has changed dramatically since she began her career.
She said there’s a lot more attention to have plans in place for student safety. Teacher retention is another area that has changed. She said she never would have thought she would live in a time where she had to compete for a teacher with 10 or 15 years of experience with a surrounding school district. “Typically, they would say, you’ve got 10 years, we’ll give you two. And you just had to be happy with that. It’s hard when there aren’t enough (teachers),” explained Somers, who said a shortage of teachers remains a problem in the State of Michigan. She adds the state has focused on improving schools, which is good. But many times improvements cost money and involves a grant, which requires more management and time because there’s accountability attached to grants.
While she’s stepping away as G-A’s superintendent, Somers isn’t ruling out she will remain retired. She said because she will miss the kids the most, she may consider becoming a principal, an administrator mentor, a teacher coach, or possibly teaching at a local university.
As she gets set to depart, Somers feels the G-A School District is in a good place.
“It’s that sustainability that we stay alive as a district. Hopefully, over time we stabilize enrollment. I don’t want to lose anymore. Because each child impacts classrooms. We have low class sizes because the board invested. I never want to lose those because I think it’s making a difference too. Both relationship wise and with academics. We are definitely better today than when I started. Coming out of covid and with student performance. I think pride. You gotta have fun with kids and I think we’re doing that more than we did when I first got here. We are so much better off with our staff pay, whether it’s our secretaries, our paraprofessionals, food service. We’ve done a good job focusing on that too. And you have to. Part of retention and attraction is money. The other part is being a part of a really cool community. And we are. I’ll miss that part,” said Somers.
Somers said she will miss the people she works and visits with regularly in the district as well as the students.
“Being able to walk down a hallway and say ‘hi,’ and ‘have a good weekend.’ And being able to come around in the morning in a building and check in with folks. My goal has always been, are you good? Do you need something? What can we do? Getting close to my administrative team, my central office team. It’s the relationships. They’ll always be a part of me. And then I hope I never lose that pride in what we’ve done for kids. Especially in both worlds. But really in that extracurricular place where so many kids can find a way to shine that sometimes struggle with school. And that’s really important to me,” offered Somers.
Somers obtained her BA degree in Secondary Education at Michigan State University and later earned her masters degree in Middle Education at Central Michigan University. After numerous positions in the classroom and in administrative offices, she eventually landed in G-A which she said has been very rewarding.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
