The Van Wert County Courthouse

Friday, Mar. 29, 2024

Van Wert Board of Ed. hires new supt.

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Van Wert City Board of Education has finally hired a new superintendent after a lengthy search.

Shown are new Van Wert City Schools superintendent Vicki Brunn and new board member Tom Losh. Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent

Vicki Brunn, who is currently superintendent of Central Local Schools (Fairview) in northwest Ohio, was approved as the new superintendent following a search process that began shortly after former superintendent Ken Amstutz announced he was leaving in March 2017 after 10 years in the district.

Brunn, who began her career as a social studies teacher at Findlay High School, was also principal of Talawanda High School in Oxford, as well as human resources director for that district before taking her current position.

Brunn said she is looking forward to working with Van Wert teachers and administrators to keep the district moving forward, educationally.

“I really think Van Wert is on the cusp of being a great district,” she noted. “I feel pretty lucky to be walking in at this point in time when we’re this close to being one of the greatest districts in the state of Ohio.”

Brunn said she believes in an initiative called “212ing it,” referring to the temperature it takes to boil water.

“To put it simply, at 211 degrees, water is just hot water,” Brunn explained. “I see Van Wert as being at 211 degrees, and if we just take it up one degree, we’re going to be cooking.”

Brunn has had a number of honors and awards during her teaching and administrative career, receiving National Board Certified Teacher status at Findlay, and a Social Studies Teacher of the Year award. She also received the Crystal Apple Award as an outstanding administrator while at Oxford and the Diversity Administrator of the Year award from the Oxford chapter of the NAACP.

During her time at Central Local Schools, Fairview Middle School was honored as a National Blue Ribbon School for Gap Closing, and also received the Momentum Award from the Ohio Department of Education.

For her part, Brunn said the search process at Van Wert was among the best she has been involved with, noting she not only received an extensive tour of the district and met key people here, but also was involved in a lengthy panel discussion involving teachers, administrators, board members, and members of the community.

Brunn said she is most impressed so far with the people: the teachers and administrators she has met.

“I need to be in a district where I feel like the people are here for the right reasons,” she explained. “I’ve never seen anything like (Van Wert). Van Wert’s got it, they’ve got the right idea; I believe in it, I love it, and I look forward to leading the district forward in that area too.”

The new superintendent said she particularly likes that fact that project-based learning not only teaches the basics, but also provides students with critical thinking skills, as well as teamwork skills, “soft skills” that will help them become more successful after high school

“I love the project-based learning, the problem-based learning,” Brunn noted. “I used to teach that way when I was in the classroom back in the ‘90s; I think it’s one of the best styles (of education).”

Brunn will replace Interim Superintendent Staci Kaufman, who was hired in June of last year to provide district leadership while the superintendent’s search was extended in order to find what the board felt was the right person for the job, in August.

While her contract calls for her to officially start August 1, Brunn said she plans to work with Kaufman prior to that to ensure a smooth transition for the district.

POSTED: 02/22/18 at 8:59 am. FILED UNDER: News