The Grosse Pointe Public School System (GPPSS) Board of Education (BOE) voted to change the superintendent search process to a direct board appointment during the Feb. 23 board meeting. Later in the same meeting, the board passed another motion, introduced by Secretary Valarie St. John, to schedule the appointment of Deputy Superintendent Dr. Roy Bishop for the next meeting on March 9.
Both votes passed 5-2; Trustees Sean Cotton and Ginny Jeup voted no both times.
Introduced at the Feb. 9 meeting, the decision to appoint a superintendent replaces the previous method of selection, which included a search process for a candidate, multiple interviews of potential hires and a final vote from the board. A process that usually takes months, the direct appointment process will conclude by the end of the March 9 board meeting.
Board President Clint Derringer advocated for a BOE-appointed superintendent, arguing that the district’s priority should be to make the transition between superintendents as smooth as possible. Derringer claimed the quicker a candidate is chosen, the easier that can happen.
“We need a long transition process with our current superintendent, who has helped stabilize the district,” Derringer said. “We should maximize that time. Spending time on a search process minimizes the overlap time for transition. That would be a bad decision.”
Both Cotton and Jeup objected to the change, pushing for a classic interview and hiring process rather than a singular appointment. They both felt that evaluating a larger group may prove more effective than considering a single candidate.
“I wish I could have voted for Dr. Bishop, but I will not,” Cotton said. “I would have loved to after a search, but I will not vote for anybody for this process, and that’s unfortunate.
After the vote for Bishop’s future appointment passed, Jeup proposed that the board conduct an interview process prior to voting on Bishop as the next superintendent.
“I’ve never heard of a person getting appointed to a job without an interview process,” Jeup said. “I’d love to have the opportunity to ask some deep questions so that the community knows the direction that we’re heading in.”
The motion failed 2-5; only Jeup and Cotton voted yes. After the vote concluded, Jeup walked offstage and left the meeting.
