Next round of interviews slated for April 2
By Shelby Stewart-Soldan
Staff Writer
OXFORD TWP. – After five interviews over three nights, the Oxford Community Schools Board of Education has decided to move three superintendent candidates to the second round of interviews.
Candidates Cormac Lynn, David Raleigh and Tonya Milligan will each have a tour of the district, followed by final interviews on April 2.
The first candidate the board voted to move onto the second round was Cormac Lynn, who is currently the superintendent of the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw.
“Not that I can’t grow in my current position, but I live in Clarkston and for me, one of the things I’ve missed over the past six years is really being close enough to the communities I serve where I can be a little more engaged in that,” said Lynn. “Oxford, specifically, one of the things that stood out to me is the range of opportunities available to the students and families here. I think that my background could meet some of the current needs that are present. I think some of my skillsets would blend nicely to serving this community.”
The second candidate to be approved for the second round interviews was David Raleigh, the current assistant superintendent of district services for Franklin County Public Schools in Kentucky.
“Although I know that I’m a trustworthy person and I think you should trust me, you have to see demonstrated performance. And that does not happen overnight,” said Raleigh. “So that’s one of those things that would fall on me in terms of my morals, my character and the way that I conduct myself. That’s would I would do to build those relationships”
The third candidate to be approved to advance to the second round of interviews was Tonya Milligan, the current assistant principal of Columbus City Schools in Ohio.
“Unfortunately, I have worked in communities that have dealt with significant trauma, gun violence in some cases, suicide, we’ve lost students to accidents. I’ve worked in some really marginalized communities where resources aren’t readily available so they struggle for the day to day resources that they need,” said Milligan. “So those non-academic barriers are significant. If you can’t support non-academic barriers, it’s very difficult to get to the academic success that you know your students are capable of.”
The first round interviews for all five candidates are available through OCTV, and the three candidates will go through tours of the district this week prior to the second round interviews on April 2.