Vaara to retire

Hancock superintendent to step down after 36 years in education

By KURT HAUGLIE, DMG Writer

HANCOCK - After 36 years doing one kind of job it's hard to give it up, but for John Vaara there comes a time when it's obvious it's time to stop, and that time is now.

Vaara, who is superintendent of Hancock Public Schools, said he's retiring in June after 17 years as supervisor and 36 years in public education in various capacities.

Although there is much going on in the school district, including the construction of a new middle school building, Vaara said this is as good a time as any to retire.

"There's never a time in this business when everything is done," he said. "It's kind of like painting the Mackinac Bridge. As soon as you get to one end, you have to go back to the other end. You just reach a point in your life where you need a change."

Vaara, who grew up in Ironwood, said he started his career in public education in 1973 as a teacher, coach and athletic director at Chassell Township Schools. He did those jobs for eight years then became the high school principal and athletic director, which he did for another six years. In 1987, he became principal at Hancock High School, and he became superintendent in the 1992-93 school year.

Vaara said being superintendent of a school district is very stressful, and the person in that position can't seem to get away from that stress.

"You never leave this kind of a job, even when you're on vacation," he said. "There's always something going on."

As an example, Vaara said he recently took a four-day golfing trip to Florida, and when he returned, he had 175 e-mails, and several telephone and written messages waiting for him.

Vaara said he's been contemplating retirement for about a year and a half, and he has some options about what he may do after leaving the district, but he's not yet ready to say what those are.

He said will stay in Hancock, however. He's lived in the city and considers it his home. His three children all went through the school system, and his wife, Debbie, is a nurse at Portage Health.

Over the years, Vaara said there have been many challenges facing the school district, and with the state's financial situation, most schools are going through a particularly difficult time.

Not too long ago, Vaara said the Hancock schools had about 1,000 students. Now, there are about 850, and since most of the funding schools get from the state is based on the number of pupils, that drop in enrollment means a drop in revenue.

"The most frustrating thing to deal with is money issues," he said.

The education and graduation requirements made by the Legislature often change, most recently with the Michigan Merit Curriculum, and Vaara said schools have to keep up with those, often by having to hire more teachers to teach the newly required classes.

Although he agrees giving students a stronger education will help them later in life, Vaara said some of the requirements of the MMC may not be reasonable.

"All of us are doing this with little or no (funding) increase from the state." he said.

Despite the day-to-day money concerns, Vaara said good things have happened in the district, particularly the passing of bond issues to construct the new high school building in 1996 and the middle school, which is under construction now. The bond for the middle school also includes funding for work at Gordon G. Barkell Elementary school.

"Those things, as a superintendent you look back and say 'The community has supported our efforts,'" Vaara said.

As for the education process at the schools, Vaara said he thinks the coordinating of curriculum between the three school buildings has helped students make the change from one level to another. The effectiveness of that is proven by the fact that all three schools recently received an A rating from the Michigan Department of Education.

"That was an exciting thing to have happen," he said.

Vaara said he was hired as high school principal by Gordon G. Barkell, who was superintendent at the time. After he was hired as superintendent, he relied on the advice of Barkell to help him adjust to the position.

"The actual superintendent job you learn from other superintendents," he said.

From 2004 to 2005, Vaara said he was president of the Michigan Association of School Administrators.

"I look back on that as one of the greatest accomplishments of my career," he said.

Vaara said he'll come back for the opening of the new middle school building, tentatively planned for December 2008.

Although he doesn't know for certain when the school board will begin the process for the search for his replacement, he expects it will be after the first of the year. He thinks a replacement will be found by April or May.

"That's a board decision," he said.

Vaara said he'll also give whatever advice and support to his replacement, but he'll be unobtrusive.

"I'm certainly going to stay out of the way and not bother anybody," he said.

Vaara said leaving a job after 36 years is going to be difficult at first, but he knows it's time.

"On one hand there is a feeling of sadness," he said. " However, whatever you do, you have to leave your job sometime."

Kurt Hauglie can be reached at khauglie@mininggazette.com.