Sichting's to-do list is now a little longer as school approaches

As time inches closer to the start of another school year, Bloomfield Superintendent Dan Sichting has a long to-do list like he does every year.

This year, though, is a little different. He must find a leader for Bloomfield Jr./Sr. High School with less than three weeks to go before students walk through the doors for the start of the 2008-09 school year.

Greg Parsley has accepted the job as principal at Vincennes Lincoln High School, and his resignation at Bloomfield became effective Wednesday.

And the search is on for his replacement.

"I am concerned because of the timing with us being so close to the start of the school year," Sichting explained. "How many candidates will we have that are interested in applying for the job?"

Sichting and the Bloomfield Board of School Trustees hope to fill the principal and assistant principal's positions on an interim basis.

"(At next week's board meeting) I plan to ask the board to appoint the interim principal and assistant principal for the time being until we get a principal in place," Sichting said.

"One of the other considerations is that there is a law in the state of Indiana that says once school starts, if you hire someone from another corporation, that corporation has the right to hold them for 20 days."

Sichting is confident that Bloomfield's reputation as a quality academic school will help deliver a good pool of candidates.

He also credits Parsley for having a hand in establishing Bloomfield as a quality school.

"Bloomfield has one of the highest graduation rates in the state. Two years ago it was 93 percent, and last year 89 percent. We're in the top 10 in terms of graduation rates," Sichting explained. "That is something a lot of schools are putting a lot of emphasis on, graduating students.

"This is a characteristic that when Vincennes was looking at Greg, that was one of their (main points). Also, our academic achievement is at a high level. That also was one of his selling points."

Sichting said Parsley was able to achieve the school's academic success because of discipline.

"He provided a disciplined environment for students. It is an absolute must that if you're going to have academic achievement, you have to have a disciplined environment for it to occur in," Sichting stressed. "Kids were in class when they needed to be; they were on task. That speaks highly for Mr. Parsley and staff."

Sichting has posted the principal's opening on the Indiana Department of Education Web site, and will post it with the placement bureaus at Indiana State University, Ball State University, Indiana University, and Purdue University.

"We're going to accept letters of application and resumes for two weeks (starting Wednesday)," Sichting said.

"The candidates must have a valid secondary administration or secondary principal's license. We've asked that they have at least experience as an assistant principal ... (someone who has) worked with school improvement issues. Because of No Child Left Behind and Public Law 221, those are very big job descriptions for any principal of any building."

Sichting added that the request for experience as an assistant principal isn't set in stone.

"In other words, when we hired Greg Parsley, he hadn't been an assistant principal. He had only been an athletic director. That's one of the considerations, if someone has been an administrator," Sichting said.

Sichting added that he wouldn't be surprised if people with Bloomfield and Greene County ties apply for the job.

"I believe we will see some applicants who have Greene County ties who are in administrative positions at other school corporations," Sichting said.

He also believes there could be some applicants within the Bloomfield School District.

"We have some people with licenses," Sichting said. "... No one has indicated interest in the job with the corporation at this time."