Sisters selects new school superintendent

Photo by Jim Cornelius

Charles Hellman, veteran superintendent of Rogue River schools in southern Oregon, will be the next Sisters School Superintendent.

Hellman, 59, was chosen by unanimous vote of the Sisters School Board Friday morning, April 18.

Board Chairman Jeff Smith acknowledged that the board was prepared to offer the job to Doug Jantzi, 47, director of secondary education at Central Point School District, just a few miles south of Rogue River.

But midway through his final interview Friday morning, after the board had interviewed Hellman, Jantzi said that he would not take the job if it were offered.

Smith said Jantzi explained that his decision primarily involved family considerations. Reportedly, Jantzi's wife was reluctant to move to Sisters. The couple have two school-age children.

The board quickly turned to Hellman, who was not deterred by the fact that he was the second choice. In an interview after his acceptance, he told The Nugget:

"I look at this in a positive way -- that I was selected from a large pool of candidates (24) to be one of two finalists, that I received supportive comments and sentiments from the board and other members of the community and that there was a high regard for my background and experience.

"It's obvious that the other person wasn't a good fit (for the job) because he wasn't ready to come here."

Jantzi has applied for several superintendencies around the state partly because his job in Central Point has been eliminated as of the end of this school year. He said this resulted from budget cutting.

By contrast, the Sisters opening was the only one for which Hellman submitted an application. "Why would I leave? I wouldn't leave to go (just) anywhere," he explained. "This is the only position that I was so attracted to that I could not pass it up."

On several occasions, including the open forum with school staff members and other residents at Sisters High School Thursday evening, April 17, Hellman said he found the Sisters system appealing because it is about the same size as Rogue River (1,200 students). He has come to prefer smaller districts.

His early career, however, involved two of the nation's largest school systems. A native of New York City, he began teaching in Brooklyn elementary schools. After four years there he moved to San Francisco, where he worked for 18 years in elementary and middle schools.

In 1989, Hellman applied to become principal of Rogue River High School. That job went to the vice principal, but Hellman accepted an alternative offer of the vice principal's post. He said that he and his family were ready to get out of the Bay area for "quality of life" reasons. Two years later, the superintendency opened and Hellman submitted a successful application.

Hellman speaks proudly of his work in Rogue River during the past dozen years.

"My contribution to the district over the years was to see it progress in many ways, which included upgrading technology, improving test scores, passing a bond measure to upgrade facilities and developing the staff in curriculum, instruction and assessment," he said. "The district provides an excellent program in a wonderful community, and the person who steps into my position will be working in an exceptional environment with a great staff."

The silver-haired educator speaks quietly and deliberately, choosing his words with care. But he projects an air of confidence and firmness. The board seemed particularly impressed with his management skills. Chairman Smith commented that "the adjective people continue to come up with regarding Charles is that he is solid."

Jantzi, 47, possesses a more dynamic personality and won points for his outgoing style. Smith acknowledged that the board was "disappointed" by Jantzi's last-second withdrawal, "but we're confident that Charles Hellman is a good choice."

Smith said, "We had two good candidates. Our staff told us universally that they could work with either of these candidates. The important thing is that we are really pleased with our choice."

Despite his low-key demeanor, Hellman said innovation has played a major role in his career. He moved to San Francisco because that district seemed more progressive than New York's.

Especially in what was then the city's new middle school system, he said, "I thrived. I was able to use my creativity as an educator. I also was recognized for the type of work I was doing and started to do schoolwide programs which included working with the at-risk population and working at the integration of schools."

Hellman and his wife were divorced seven years ago. His only child, an 18-year-old son, is finishing high school in Colorado and may come further west for college.

"He loves skiing," his father said, noting with approval that Mt. Bachelor is not far from Sisters.

The new man didn't begin his professional life in the schools. His bachelor's degree, from Long Island University, was in business.

"I intended to go into market research in Manhattan. I still don't understand the reason because I lasted four months."

Hired by a market research firm right out of college, "I felt that within the first hour I knew I really didn't want to do that."

He quickly looked for "something that was of more value and interest to me." New York had a teacher shortage at the time and was hiring rapidly. So he applied, became a teacher, and took additional courses to obtain his formal license. Later, in California, he obtained a master's degree in school administration from Hayward State University.

Did he like teaching? "Absolutely. I never looked at the clock in all my years in education as I did in my short period of time in the business firm."

Hellman will succeed Steve Swisher, 52, who retired in January but is working under contract until the end of the school year to help with the transition.

The deal between Hellman and Sisters won't be final until he and the board agree on salary and other terms of a contract. The board gave Hellman a draft contract during his visit last week and Smith said the final agreement will probably come up for approval at the next board meeting, May 5.