By Kristin Bednarski
Sun staff

West Clermont Local School District is beginning the search for a new superintendent after Dr. Gary Brooks announced his retirement Dec. 10.

Doug Young, West Clermont Local School District Board of Education president, said they have begun the interview process for a new superintendent.

“We started an internal search,” Young said. “We had six applicants.”

Young said they began interviewing the applicants Dec. 17. He said the board will discuss the interviews and the applicants in executive session at the upcoming board meeting.

“We could either choose, or open it to an external search,” Young said.

Young said Brooks will remain in his position for the next couple of months, or until they announce a new superintendent.

In addition, Young said they are continuing with re-organizational efforts within the district.

He said they approved several changes already, including reducing the number of assistant superintendents after Dr. M.E. Steele-Pierce, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning at West Clermont announced her retirement earlier in December.

Dr. Keith Kline, assistant superintendent of administration and human resources, said he will take over many of Steele-Pierce’s responsibilities.

“Much of the work we’re doing with human resources and curriculum will merge,” Kline said after Steele-Pierce announced her retirement. “My new assignment will be managing not just personnel but also the curricular side. We are seeing so many connections there with new mandates.”

Young said the district will be hiring, by contract for the remainder of the year, a human resources director.

He said the human resources director will take some of the workload off of Kline, and allow him to concentrate on the hiring process and teacher evaluations and performance.

Young said they will continue to re-organize and evaluate other job descriptions as they move into 2013.

“As additional retirements come up, we will be looking at additional efficiencies we can find,” Young said.

Young said they are also doing curriculum audits at the secondary level to evaluate where they can save additional costs.

“It will reduce costs within the central office and focus the organization on supporting the buildings,” Young said about the re-organizational steps they are taking.

Young said their next meeting will be their annual organizational meeting on Jan. 8.

For more information about the district visit www.westcler.k12.oh.us .