When Dr. Michelle Saylor was asked to step in as the interim superintendent for Bellefonte Area School District in April, she was hesitant at first to take the position.
“I loved working with curriculum, instruction, and innovation and working side-by-side with the teachers,” she says, referring to her previous position as assistant superintendent, which she had held since July 2012, “but there’s also many components of this position that I enjoy.”
Saylor, who was given a one-year contract in late June, took over as interim after Cheryl Potteiger had left earlier in the year to take the superintendent position at Annville-Cleona School District. Though Saylor says there is always some sadness and trepidation about the future when a superintendent leaves, she believes that she was generally well received.
“There’s always some anxiety about what change is going to occur,” she says. “I think one of the most important things was helping them understand that we still have that mission of excellence — we were just going to be a little more collaborative in the process. There was going to be some more voices as we move forward. We really weren’t looking at anything brand new because we were on the right track to begin with.
“Sometimes when a superintendent transitions to another district, it’s because educational programming isn’t going well. That wasn’t the case. There were other variables. We have a very good team in place, so we’ve been able to continue with things that we’ve previously identified.”
Originally from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, Saylor is married with three adult children — two daughters and one son. She went to Bloomsburg University for her undergraduate degree, Scranton University for her master’s in English, California University of Pennsylvania for a master’s in education and principal certification, and Widener University for her doctorate. She was an English teacher for nine years at Millville Area School District. She then became an assistant principal at Manheim Central from 2005 to 2009, when she left to become the director of curriculum, instruction, and staff development at Wilson School District.
Some of the aspects within the Bellefonte Area School District she is looking to continue are working with the University of Pittsburgh and its College in the Classroom program that allows college-level courses to be taught at the school, increasing the technology-to-student ratio, and maintaining and improving the safety standards of the district.
Saylor, who also is president of the Women’s Caucus of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, believes the most important aspect of her job is building relationships with the employees of the district.
“I want to make sure people are valued so they can do their jobs,” she says. “Everyone has expertise and contributions for the district, and they need to be able to know they can make suggestions and be appreciated for it.”
But the most important question for her personally is: Does she want to take the word “interim” out of her title?
“If you had asked me two and a half months ago, I would have been hesitant,” she says. “I was really looking at the interim position as being something that I could do well for the district in this period of time. But as I’ve transitioned into this position, I really would appreciate the ability to continue and make it permanent. I’m finding, at least from my perspective, that this is a fit, and I’m honestly enjoying it.”
