It appears that Oxford Superintendent Dr. William Skilling won’t be packing his bags for Granville, Ohio.
He’s taken himself out of the running for the superintendent position down there.
‘I want each of you to know that yesterday I informed Dr. Ralph Johnson, the consultant representing the Granville Ohio School District, that I do not intend to apply for their superintendent position and that I no longer want to be considered a candidate,? wrote Skilling in a Dec. 12 e-mail to Oxford school district staff.
Skilling wrote the e-mail from China. He’ll return from his latest trip to the Far East on Dec. 20.
Skilling was one of four finalists for the superintendent position, according to both the Granville Exempted Village Schools website and the Newark Advocate, the Ohio newspaper that covers the district.
‘I told Dr. Johnson that my focus remains on completing the many initiatives that we have started at Oxford Community Schools,? he wrote.
On Dec. 3, Skilling took a personal day off work and traveled 260 miles to Granville, which is approximately 30 miles northeast of Columbus, to interview with the school board during a closed session, then meet with members of the public during a ‘community dialogue session.?
The Oxford Leader broke the story on-line that very day, but Skilling never returned any phone calls seeking comment.
When he returned, Skilling stated publicly at the Dec. 6 Oxford school board meeting that he was ‘not an official candidate? for the Granville position and had not filled out an application or submitted any paperwork concerning the job.
Skilling also made it clear that he was sought out for the Granville position; he didn’t go looking for it.
In his e-mail, he credited the staff of Oxford school district for making him a wanted man.
‘It is a compliment to every teacher, employee, administrator and supporter of our school district that people are taking notice of Oxford Community Schools,? Skilling wrote. ‘The reason that another school district was interested in me is because of you ? and the great work each of you are doing for our students.?