NILES - Former Southington Superintendent Frank Danso on Wednesday has been named interim superintendent of Niles City Schools for the remainder of the academic year. He replaces Mark Robinson, who resigned to take a job with the Ohio Department of Education.
Danso, who has been working in education for 38 years, applied for the interim position when it became available. He retired from the Southington superintendent's position in July. He worked as both the superintendent and the elementary school principal in Southington.
"I love working with students," Danso said after his appointment. "The Niles schools hold a lot of promise. This school district is going through some exciting times."
Danso will begin work on Monday. His contract is through July 31, 2013, and he will be paid $375 per day. He will be able to accumulate sick days, but will have no vacation days.
"I will be walking through the hallways in the schools and welcome people to come up and talk to me," Danso said. "I'm looking forward to interacting with students."
Danso says he is looking forward to helping the students to move into their new schools.
Danso has familiarity in working with school districts involved in construction projects because he lead levy campaigns and a school construction project in Southington.
The 60-year-old did not express interest in the permanent superintendent position.
"I'm going to work at being the interim superintendent, which the job they hired me to do," he said.
Board member Christopher Doutt said the board negotiated the contract with the Danso during the more than 2 1/2 executive session.
"We wanted to bring in someone who was of good value," Doutt said. "He also is satisfied being an interim superintendent."
Doutt said there was more than one candidate for the interim position.
Before the board went into executive session, Richard Sprague, who works at the McKinley High School, said the staff and teachers did not want the board to move high school principal Mark Lucas into the superintendent's position because he is needed in the high school during the transition to a new school and during a period in which there will be new teacher and principal evaluations.
Brian McConnell, a middle school teacher, suggested to the board that the next superintendent should have some ties to the community, preferably someone local.