The Thornapple Kellogg Board Selects Finalists for Superintendent Search. Dan Remenap and Tim Reeves have been named as the two finalists to fill the TK Superintendent position. They will return to the district for tours and to meet staff n Monday and Tuesday and continue with the second round of interviews Nov. 17 in the middle school room 1616. Remenap will be interviewed at 6 p.m. with Reeves to follow at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be open for the public to attend and it will also be available to attend virtually.
Remenap is the current Superintendent of Hastings Area Schools and Reeves is the current Superintendent at Shelby Public Schools. Remenap was interviewed Wednesday night along with Dr. James Konrad, Superintendent of Washington Schools, Pennsylvania
Remenap is the brother of TK High School assistant principal Kevin Remenap. “I don’t want that to be a reason I get the job or that I don’t get the job,” said Dan. “No one will hold him (Kevin) more accountable than I will and he will do the same for me.”Dan Remenap admitted he may not be the most experienced candidate, but he said skill sets matter. “My strength is that I do have experience but not so much that I’m ingrained in my ways.”Remenap attended Central Michigan University and taught at Grandville High School. He moved to Spring Lake where he worked as an assistant principal and then to Allendale where he was a high school principal for 10 years. He was hired to be the superintendent at Hastings in 2019.When asked about the immediate challenges TK faces, Remenap said he sees any challenge as an opportunity. “TK has an incredible opportunity and challenge with growth. The challenge is to accept the growth but maintain the identity that is TK. You have something special going on here and you don’t want to lose that.” While he said things are going good at TK now, it’s important not to rest on laurels but continue to strive for improvement.He also said the pandemic is an obvious challenge for all. “Education is about relationships. It’s very difficult to build relationships through a screen.” He said it’s obvious this community values education and that he believes in the public education system.Addressing a question about his style of leadership, Remenap said he’s a situational leader. “Every problem is not the same. You have to use different tools in your toolbox to deal with them."
Dr. James Konrad was the second interview of the night. Konrad said he loves and misses Michigan and is looking for an opportunity to move back to this state. He said he saw this district and thought it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.He described himself as a passionate and collaborative leader who will work with staff, parents, the community and the board to find ways to remove barriers to success.When asked about challenges, he said he believes TK needs some stability. With the pandemic, the retirement of a superintendent and the challenges that come from both situations, he said stability is a key. He said open and honest communication is also very important to keep everyone moving in the same direction.He also said maintaining the climate and culture of the district is important. “We have to make kids safe. We have to give people a voice and we have to give kids a voice. We have to remove fear of retaliation
and ensure that everyone has an important voice. The superintendent is the driver working collaboratively with the board to set the tone for the district,” he said.If he is the next superintendent, Konrad said he would hope TK will continue to see much success and continue to toot their own horn more so that everyone knows what TK is about.“You have the collective focus of success. I want to be part of a district that focuses on success for all students.”
After both interviews board members discussed all four candidates and ultimately decided to ask Remenap and Reeves back for Second Interviews.
