The Oxford Community Schools board on Tuesday selected a superintendent to lead the district, nearly a month after it announced three finalists were up for the post that begins July 1.
The seven-member board voted unanimously to select Tonya Milligan, executive director of K-12 teaching and learning at Columbus City Schools in Columbus, Ohio, as its new superintendent. The vote took place at a special meeting at Oxford Middle School on Tuesday evening.
Board President Erin Reis stated, “I think this process has been inclusive and transparent. It has been exciting, informative, and educational.” It brings me joy to observe that we can function as a board. One of the most significant choices our committee will make for our kids, families, and communities will be choosing a superintendent.”
After the count, Reis promised to get in touch with Milligan and the district’s lawyers to start the contract negotiating process. Before Milligan’s start date, Reis stated that the contract would be submitted to the board and made accessible to the public for approval and execution.
On July 1, Milligan is scheduled to take over as the Oxford school district’s top executive. The salary range for the role is $215,000 to $230,000. There are 855 school employees and 5,700 pre-K–12 pupils in the district.
The decision was made subsequent to the board’s announcement in March that it had chosen three finalists for the position of superintendent.
David Raleigh, the administrator of LaRue County Schools in Hodgenville, Kentucky, and Cormac Lynn, the superintendent of the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw, were among Milligan’s selection pool members.
According to Reis, Raleigh had “withdrawn from the selection materials” before Milligan’s and Lynn’s site visits on April 12 and 5, respectively.
The two finalists were praised by other board members for their qualifications, and the board president called them “excellent educators”.
Since Milligan led a public school district and Lynn led a private one, some board members had concerns.
Miller “already understands and works well within the public school system and all the parameters that are around us and the things that we need to be sure that we do,” said Mary Hanser, the treasurer.
Oxford schools as of right now Vickie Markavitch, the superintendent, was hired in January 2023 and will step down on June 30. Markavitch took over as interim superintendent on November 22, 2022, replacing Anita Qonja-Collins, who had been appointed following the abrupt retirement of prior superintendent Ken Weaver.
A father from Oxford whose child was a freshman in November 2021, Mark Gillim, applauded the board for their choice but chastised the present superintendent and board members for withholding information that was addressed in secret sessions.
“I think you’re still in the initial stage of trauma, which is denial,” he stated in reference to the mass shooting in 2021 that left four kids dead and seven others injured, including a teacher.
“… The community is not going to let this issue go until there’s full accountability for the board and staff members directly involved,” Gillim stated. “The board members are the ones that set the direction for the institution. Leadership makes all the difference, and with Vickie Markavitch’s assistance, our school is currently on fire.”
The district still is dealing with the aftermath of a student who fired his weapon 33 times in an attack at the school in November 2021, that killed Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; and Justin Shilling, 17. Ethan Crumbley is serving a life sentence for the attack.
The shooter’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, were convicted in jury trials of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced 10 to 15 years in prison April 9 for their gross negligence that contributed to the shooting.
The district is entangled in lawsuits, and parents continue to demand change and transparency from school leaders. The complaints allege the district failed to protect students and downplayed the threat the killer posed to the school by taking actions, they say, that created or increased the danger.
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