NEW BREMEN — Two years ago today, Dr. Andrea Townsend was hired as the new superintendent of New Bremen Local Schools.
Her tenure wasn’t long. Wednesday, she was hired by the West Carrollton Board of Education to be superintendent there. The West Carrollton board met in special session to approve a contract with Townsend. Her position there as superintendent will begin Aug. 1. As of April 1, she will hold the position of incoming superintendent. Her contract with the suburban Dayton school district will run through July 31, 2020.
New Bremen Board of Education President Tom Paul would not comment Wednesday afternoon.
“Nothing is official. We’ve not been notified officially,” he said. He did admit that the board had been aware of several listed positions that Townsend had applied for.
“She will be the New Bremen superintendent through July 31,” Paul said. His board will meet in special session next week to accept her formal notification, he added.
Townsend went to New Bremen from Springfield City Schools, where she had served as director of student services, elementary programs and online learning for three years.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education with a mathematics focus from Ohio Dominican University, a Master of Science in administration and supervision from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) and a Doctor of Education from Walden University.
Townsend was selected for her experience, Paul said in 2015. She has taught at the elementary, middle school and high school levels and served as an athletic director and a principal. She began her career as a teacher in Baltimore City, Maryland. Just prior to her job in Springfield, she was the superintendent of a charter school, the North Dayton School of Discovery, for two years.
She will replace a superintendent who served West Carrollton schools for 18 years. She leaves behind some important, unfinished initiatives.
The New Bremen board has readied a levy request to put before voters, May 2. Citizens will be asked to approve the issuing of bonds and the levying of a 7.46-mill, 30-year property tax to build a school that will house students in kindergarten through eighth-grade. Also part of the request is a 1-mill levy for permanent improvements that would replace the current .68-mill permanent improvement tax.
In February, the board considered a measure to eliminate a principal’s position in a cost-cutting move. Before the board decided it could not take such a step until it had more information, Townsend had proposed that she add the role of high school principal to her duties at no additional salary.
Wednesday, Paul said he could not discuss how cost-cutting might now progress.
Townsend could not be reached for comment.
