Julie Charney to fill principal roles at Riverside and Klager
With Manchester Community Schools’ superintendent, Nick Steinmetz accepting a new position at Madison Schools starting January 1, the district has multiple administrative roles to fill. In addition to serving as superintendent, Steinmetz has been serving as building administrator (principal) for Klager Elementary School and Riverside Intermediate School this year. The Board of Education opted to fill the roles of building administrators for Klager and Riverside immediately and has appointed Julie Charney as interim building administrator for both Klager and Riverside through the end of the school year.
The Board also has hired Tony Hollow and Linda Brian from Executive Search and Coaching to facilitate the process of placing an interim superintendent to complete the remainder of the year and begin the search for a full-time superintendent. Hollow headed up the last superintendent search that resulted in the hiring of Steinmetz.
Although historically serving as a speech pathologist for the district, Charney was serving a dual role of speech pathologist and Dean of Student Success for Riverside this fall. Dean of Student success was a position created at both Riverside and Klager when Steinmetz took on the role of building administrator in order to handle discipline in each building and add a step in the administrative hierarchy between teacher and superintendent. Through the Dean of Students position, Charney states that she has been able to connect with students in a different way. “It has been rewarding guiding students when they have needed assistance,” she said.
Diane Rickert, Dean of Student Success at Klager, will be continuing in this role. Charney and Rickert will be coordinating their schedules at Klager. Charney envisions splitting her time between the two and being highly visible in both buildings.
While Dean of Student Success was a part-time position, allowing Charney to continue her work as a speech pathologist in the district, the position as building administrator for Klager and Riverside will be a full-time position, necessitating the contracting of a speech pathologist through the Washtenaw Intermediate School District to cover her current students through the end of the year. Charney stated, “I am looking forward to introducing the students and providing a smooth transition for all involved. I am happy that I will continue to see most of my students on a daily basis.” She plans to pop in to the High School to check in with her junior and senior high students from tine to time. She also hopes to coordinate with Mrs. Bohl to allow the Community Based Instruction students to have new learning opportunities at Klager and Riverside.
Charney grew up in Grand Blanc, Michigan. She graduated from CMU in 1994 with a BA in Speech-Language Pathology and continued at CMU for a MA in Speech-Language Pathology in 1995. When she began her career as a speech-language pathologist that same year, she worked in the medical field, providing services to a variety of long term care facilities and acute care hospitals. In 2000, she transitioned to working with children, providing speech-language pathology services to head start programs in Detroit. “Having a medical background has helped me tremendously while working in special education,” she stated. In 2004 she moved to Washtenaw County and started working at Manchester Community Schools. “ I love the area”, she stated, “because it is the perfect mix of city and country.” In 2011, she earned a Master Public Administration-Education from U of M.
Charney has two children. “My son Alex is a junior at Saline High School and my daughter Lauren is a sophomore at Vanderbilt University,” she explained. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring estate sales, camping, hiking and cooking new recipes.
When asked her priorities and visions for the schools, she stated, “My first priority is to make sure the students, staff, and families have a smooth transition during this period of change. I would also like to expand on Mr. Steinmetz’s vision of improving relationships with the community. I strongly believe to be a successful learning community we need to be more engaged with the community using the resources available through the use of volunteers. In Manchester, there are talented craftsmen, gardeners, artists, etc. with a world of knowledge and skills. I would like to create opportunities for students to access these valuable skill sets.”
Another goal she has is to continue what Steinmetz has begun in the improvement of communication with parents and the community. “I welcome members of the community to directly reach out to me,” she stated. “I will also continue to use social media as well as traditional methods to communicate with families and the community.”
Charney explained that this administrative configuration may change next year. “At this time, having one principal, who is familiar with both buildings and staff, split the leadership role is best for the transition. When a new Superintendent starts, he or she will work directly with the Board of Education to determine the best leadership configuration for the district.”
While it can feel like a big change from three building administrators and a superintendent last year to only two building administrators, Julie Charney and Eric McCalla, the High School principal this January, there are more individuals in the district who are part of the administrative team–including Mr. O’Brien (Maintenance), Mrs. Haskett (Transportation), Mr. Blanchard (Athletic Director), Mrs. Leib (Business Office), Mrs. Neal (Human Resources), and Mr. Maisano (Technology).
Charney elaborated, “However, I want to emphasize the district is full of leaders….teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, custodians, and etc. On a daily basis, individuals take on additional duties beyond their job descriptions to make sure the students are taken care of. Without everyone’s effort and dedication, the district would just be brick and mortar versus a community for our students to thrive in. Everyone has the same goal: to establish the best learning community for all of Manchester students.
“Manchester Community Schools is an amazing district. The buildings are staffed with kind, dedicated individuals who strive to provide a stimulating educational environment for all students. They focus on the whole child, assuring that not only students develop strong academic skills but develop emotionally, physically and socially.”
Charney concluded, “I would like everyone to know that our goal is for this change to have minimal to no impact on students.”
Julie Charney speaking to the crowd at the 2019 Riverside Senior Luncheon
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