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After 7 hours of interviews last week, the Board of Education has selected their finalists for the candidacy of the new superintendent. Voting for finalists Dr. Andrea Tuttle and AJ Staniszewski, continues with a second round of interviews.
This comes after GPPSS Superintendent Jon Dean resigned in August after extreme budget cuts were made late in the 2022-2023 school year.
Board Trustee Valarie St. John expressed her joy of finding competent candidates for the position during the Dec. 9, 2023 meeting.
“All seven of our candidates had excellent resumes and showed enthusiasm for the district and would really love to see any of them working in our central office,” St. John said at the meeting. “I think either of them would be an asset to our district in some way.”
One of the two finalists, Andrea Tuttle, who is currently the Owosso School District Superintendent. She has been the Superintendent of Owosso Schools since 2010 and said she prides herself on her communication skills with community members. The final round of interviews will be held on December 12 and the final board choice for the superintendent will be selected at the meeting.
“I recognize that I would be the face of your district and my presence and accessibility to parents, student and community members is of utmost importance and where I glean the most for this district,” Tuttle said during her interview.
AJ Staniszewski, the other finalist who is currently the Director of Education at the Global Intermediate School In the Mapleton Public School District, located in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado.
“I will use the experience that I have, if I were selected for this position, to build up the base I currently don’t have at this point,” Staniszewski said during his interview. “But ultimately this decision is for you all (The Board). is more important than just one person. The future of Grosse Pointe schools depends on this and it’s not about one superintendent, or teacher.”
Staniszewski, is a Grosse Pointe South alumnus, was and was a finalist previously during the 2021 superintendent selection process. South social studies department head Peter Palen said he would support finalist AJ Staniszewski as superintendent.
“I have known (Staniszewski) for over 20 years and I truly believe that he is the right guy at the right time,” Palen said. “The last few years of school board politics have been divisive and have frankly been a bit nasty, and I think at this pivotal moment for our community we have an opportunity to choose a leader that is deeply committed to students, their success and the continued excellence of Grosse Pointe Public Schools.”
