Findlay school board hires new superintendent

The Findlay City Board of Education voted 5-0 Monday to award a three-year contract to Andrew Hatton, who will take the reigns as the district's next superintendent on Aug. 1. His salary was set at $165,000 yearly. The vote was held Monday at a regular meeting of the school board. Hatton has served as an associate superintendent of learning and leadership for Upper Arlington City Schools, located in Franklin County, since 2019. The district has a student population of about 6,100 students. Findlay City Schools has a student population of about 5,237 students. A former director of curriculum at Dublin City Schools, Hatton also worked as a principal at Delaware City Schools. He began his career as a middle school teacher at Columbus City Schools. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Miami University, Oxford, and a master's degree in education administration from Ohio State University, Columbus. He received his bachelor's degree from Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware. Hatton was one of three finalists for the position, along with Ted Haselman, superintendent of Pike-Delta-York Local School District, and Maura Horgan, assistant superintendent of Newark City Schools. In October, the school board contracted with K-12 Consulting Inc., Delaware, to conduct the search. At that time, the board set a goal of naming the district's next superintendent by this month. K-12 Consulting surveyed board members, district administrators, school personnel, students and community members to created criteria for the superintendent's search. The company "guarantees" its search services for one year from the new superintendent's start date. Should that superintendent resign within a year or less, the K-12 Consulting will conduct a free "four to six-week condensed search" to find a replacement. Former Superintendent Troy Roth resigned at the end of last school year. Roth was named district superintendent in March 2020. He had previously served as assistant superintendent for Findlay Schools since 2015. The board delayed hiring the district's next superintendent last year due to the number of school districts seeking new leadership and a shortage of candidates. Krista Crates-Miller, who served as the district's assistant superintendent for two years, beginning in the 2020-21 school year, is serving as interim superintendent this school year. Crates-Miller is a former principal of Glenwood Middle School. Michael Scoles is serving as the district's interim assistant superintendent this school year. In 2015, Scoles was named principal of Lincoln Elementary School, until it closed at the end of the 2020-21 school year. He then led the counseling department at Findlay High School.