By Crystal Hayduk
The Chelsea Board of Education unanimously approved the nomination of Julie Helber of Saline to become the next superintendent of schools at their meeting on March 16.
In front of an audience of more than two dozen staff and community members, the board heard presentations and conducted second-round interviews of three candidates, then shared results of reference checks and candidate visits to the district.
With three well-qualified finalists to choose from, Helber rose to the top.
Rich Ramsey, superintendent search consultant with the Michigan Association of School Boards, congratulated the board for their 7-0 decision. “I’m proud of your work,” he said.“You are to be commended for your thoroughness and transparency in this process. This [hiring the superintendent] is the most important part of your job.”
The board reached Helber by phone, and with the benefit of speakerphone, Steve Olsen, board president, extended the offer of employment contingent upon arriving at a mutually acceptable contract.
Helber accepted, and the audience applauded.
The board approved Olsen to conduct contract negotiations; member Anne Mann will participate as well.
In a written statement released on March 17, Olsen said, “Dr. Julie D. Helber was the unanimous choice of the school board to fill the role of Chelsea School District Superintendent, and she has accepted that role. We are very excited to have Dr. Helber as the leader of our educational community and as a member of the larger school district community. She has the capacity, knowledge, and experience to be an excellent leader of our schools moving forward.
“The school board thanks our school staff, teachers and administrators, as well as our community members, for their valuable input and opinions during our search for our new leader. We also thank Mr. Rich Ramsey, the consultant from the Michigan School Board Association, for his expert and excellent advice during the search process.”
Helber is “honored and excited” to become the next Superintendent of Chelsea Schools. “I look forward to working with the staff, students, administrators, community members, and board of education to build upon the work that has been done to make Chelsea an outstanding place to learn and work,” she said.
Ramsey said that it has been a pleasure to lead and guide the Board through their journey to select a new superintendent. “They sought out the opinions of many people through this process. Julie Helber is going to fit in well in Chelsea.”
