View a previous report on the superintendent search in the video player above.
GROVE CITY, Ohio (WMCH) — South-Western City Schools, the third largest district in central Ohio, has narrowed its search for a new superintendent down to two finalists out of five candidates.
The district is looking for a replacement for Bill Wise, who announced plans to retire after holding the position since 2007. The five original candidates for a new superintendent included:
- Randy Banks, Assistant Superintendent, Worthington City Schools
- Dr. Todd Hoadley, Superintendent, Tolles Career and Technical Center
- Dr. Jamie Lusher, Deputy Superintendent, South-Western City Schools
- Chris Papouras, Superintendent, Euclid City Schools
- Dr. Walter Skaggs, Superintendent, St. Clairsville-Richland City Schools
As of Thursday, South-Western City Schools said it was deciding between Banks and Lusher. South-Western’s executive director of communications, Evan Debo, said that the district would announce its final pick on June 8.
Before then, families in the district will get a chance to speak with the two candidates at “meet and greet” forums at the South-Western Career Academy’s Event Center, located at 4750 Big Run South Rd. in Grove City. At a 4 p.m. event on June 3 with Lusher and a 4 p.m. event on June 4 with Banks, Debo said both finalists will discuss their background before attendees get a question and answer session moderated by the district’s superintendent search firm, K-12 Business Consulting. Around an hour ahead of those forums, school staff will get their own separate forums to ask the respective candidates questions.
The district has spent $39,130 out of its $75,000 budget to find Wise’s replacement, according to a May 24 invoice from hired attorney Omar Tarazi. The document, which Tarazi sent on behalf of K-12, was the latest of four bills the lawyer has sent to the district since the start of 2024. The previous three were for amounts over $20,000.
The South-Western City School District serves parts of southwestern Columbus, Grove City, Franklin and Prairie townships, Galloway, Georgesville and other southwestern Franklin County areas. It is made up of 16 elementary schools, five intermediate schools, five middle schools, four high schools, one career-technical academy and a special needs preschool. The district’s population includes around 21,000 students and 2,800 staff members.