Schools

Meet Gerald Jennex: Candidate for Clawson Superintendent

The school board interviews the Capac schools superintendent to replace Cheryl Rogers at a special meeting on Monday evening.

About 20 community members attended the first round of interviews of candidates for Clawson schools superintendent Monday evening at the . The this week with hopes of narrowing the choices to two-three finalists after Thursday.

 after five years of working in the district. Her retirement will be effective in June.

First up was Gerald Jennex, who has been the superintendent of Capac Community Schools since 2004. He answered a series of questions from board members ranging from topics such as curriculum to his experiences as a school leader. Toward the end of the 90-minute interview, Jennex answered a few questions from the audience.

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Jennex said he has worn many hats during his career in education and his goal is to be an approachable leader in the school district.

"I knew in college that I wanted to make a difference in young people’s lives," Jennex said. "I want to be someone that is authentic. I’m a real person."

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Kenwood parent Kimmi Carlesimo attended the interview Monday and said she saw some desirable qualities in Jennex. "I thought he was very personable," she said. "We are looking for someone who is approachable."

Here are some highlights from Jennex's responses to interview topics:

On challenges in the district

"Everybody in the state of Michigan is facing financial challenges," Jennex said.

Other challenges Jennex discussed were getting the most value out of resources, continuing to raise the bar for achievement, competing on a local level and providing students with the skills they need to make a living and compete in the 21st century.

Qualities that set him apart

Jennex said he has a lot of experience wearing different hats and a willingness and ability to work alongside people.

"You have to know the entire spectrum of the job," Jennex said.

Visible leadership examples

In August 2006 Jennex helped lead the Capac Community Schools District in passing a $6 million bond issue to upgrade buildings and technology. "It really helped the district and helped things look a lot better," Jennex said

On diversity, school of choice

Jennex said he supports school of choice and believes that others should embrace it because it gives districts the ability to compete.

"They are all our kids," Jennex said. "We should want every one of them to thrive."

Jennex said school of choice can be a challenge when neighboring districts try to take students from other districts. He said Capac has experienced this, resulting in declining enrollment. However, Jennex is working on a strategy to target home-schooled children and bring them into the district.

Addressing students' needs

Jennex said he believes innovation plays a key role in meeting the needs of students. For example, he was active in pulling together grant dollars to help non-English speaking students. The schools brought parents and students together for literacy nights when they could learn on iPads. Jennex said he would also like to see iPads available for students during long bus rides to technical centers where they can study for ACT tests.

Building trust with staff, community

As a current superintendent, Jennex said he attends as many student events as possible. "I love to watch students show their talent and be involved," he said.

Jennex said he wants to have an open door policy and make himself available to the school community.

Teacher and curriculum evaluations

Jennex said teacher evaluations are an important practice for districts and it's a system he uses in his current district. "We've made tremendous strides," Jennex said.

Teachers are being held more accountable for teaching the required curriculum, Jennex said, and he is encouraging high school teachers to include ACT prep in their curriculum.

The three other candidates will be interviewed Wednesday and Thursday. Check out the for the week.


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