Superintendent Finalist Gerald Jennex Wants to be Visible Leader in Clawson Schools

believes Clawson has a stable and attractive school district and vows to be available, accessible and visible in the community if selected as the next schools superintendent.

Jennex interviewed for a second round Wednesday evening before the school board and a small audience of parents and faculty in the media center at .

The interview was more informal than , with board members asking questions relating to Jennex's experiences as a superintendent and how he would lead Clawson schools if hired.

"I would absolutely want to be part of the thread of the community," Jennex said.

Jennex has been superintendent of Capac Community Schools since 2004. Capac is a small school district, similar to Clawson, with about 1,400 students compared to Clawson's 1,800.

As part of the selection process, a small group of school community members will visit Capac next week to speak with teachers, administrators and others who have worked with Jennex.

parent Kimmi Carlesimo is a part of that group. She has attended all of the candidate interviews in the first and second rounds. "I'm just hoping that both candidates are 100 percent honest," Carlesimo said.

After Jennex's interview, she said she was more impressed with his answers in the second round than the first. "He's definitely qualified," Carlesimo said. "It sounds like he stays on top of technology."

Jennex said if he were hired in Clawson, he would be committed to the district for several years. He said his goal is make sure students know their value. "I want to be in a place where I can sustain some things," Jennex said in his closing statement.

Interview topics

Each board member had a chance to ask Jennex questions during the interview, and there was some back-and-forth discussion on certain topics. Jennex discussed his experiences with leading curriculum changes, assessing curriculum, hiring administrators and other topics. Here are some highlights:

Spearheading curriculum changes: Jennex said he has worked on a few changes in his school district that have increased productivity among students. He said he led an initiative to move to trimesters and also to switch from half-day to all-day kindergarten. The results have "been very positive," Jennex said. He said it was important to provide real-time data to parents to show them the changes helped students.

Assessing and improving curriculum: Jennex said he would meet with the building principals to discuss their assessments and find out where are the gaps in curriculum. He said it's also important to put teachers in a position where they can teach successfully. "The No. 1 factor of student achievement is quality instruction," Jennex said. The Capac superintendent said he supports embracing new methods of technology in the classroom.

Hiring principals: Jennex hasn't hired many teachers in recent years, but has gone through the hiring process for principals. This was a crucial topic because, if hired, Jennex will lead the district's effort to hire a new principal for Kenwood in the next year. In Capac, Jennex spends about an hour with each applicant, narrows them down to eight and does site visits in their districts. He said he also assembles a group of parents, school board members and faculty members to put together a profile of what they are looking for in an administrator.

When the board asked Jennex about his concerns with the job, he said maintaining long-term financial solvency and promoting academic achievement are a few of the challenges the district faces.

We need to "figure out ways to produce more in a contest of shrinking resources," Jennex said.

Jennex's work in Capac

Dale Stuever is the school board president for Capac Community Schools and has worked closely with Jennex during his time as superintendent. He said Jennex is well-respected in the school district.

"He’s helped us keep our budget in check which is a real challenge these days," Stuever said. "He's a really good thinker. He's very community-minded."