SYLVANIA, Ohio — After an extensive months-long search, Sylvania Schools Board of Education has selected Dr. Veronica Motley to lead the district as its next superintendent.
In a release, district leaders said they chose Motley for her "breadth of educational knowledge and experience, ability to concisely express ideas and confident yet humble demeanor."
Motley will replace interim superintendent Jane Spurgeon, who has led the district since Dr. Adam Fineske’s departure last July.
Currently the assistant superintendent of South Euclid Lyndhurst Schools, Motley brings with her three decades of educational experience.
Starting as a math teacher with Akron Public Schools, Motley also served as dean of students and assistant principal in that district before leaving to become an elementary principal for Woodridge Local Schools.
She then moved to an elementary principal position in Kent City Schools, where she also served as director of student services supporting students with special needs. She was hired as the South Euclid Lyndhurst Director of Instruction in 2008 and was named Assistant Superintendent in 2013.
In addition to her work in K-12 education, Motley also served the education community as an adjunct professor in Ashland University’s graduate program.
The Sylvania Board of Education engaged K-12 Consulting, Inc. in January to assist in the search. The search entailed creating a superintendent profile, staff and community focus groups, three rounds of interviews with the board and a community meet and greet.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the interviews and community meet and greet were done virtually. After discussing staff and community feedback and conducting final interviews, the board offered Motley a three-year contract.
The contract is set to be approved at the board’s regular meeting, which will be held virtually on Monday evening.
Sylvania Schools Board of Education President Vicki Donovan-Lyle provided this statement:
“On behalf of the Sylvania Board of Education, I want to welcome Dr. Motley to our district and to our community. This was an interesting time to be searching for new leadership, to say the least, but we were fortunate in that both the candidates and our community were flexible and made it work. We are anxious to get back to school and excited to have our new superintendent at the helm.”
