The Delaware Area Career Center’s search for a new superintendent came to a close after the DACC Board of Education voted Thursday to appoint Jay Poroda to the position, effective this summer.
Poroda will replace Mary Beth Freeman, who has been with the DACC since 2008. In September 2020, the board approved Freeman’s retirement. At that time, Freemam she was proud of how far the district has come, but she felt that since the DACC was moving in a new direction, it would be appropriate to make way for a new leader.
During Thursday’s meeting, the board formally voted to approve Poroda to the position. He will begin in June with his official contract starting on Aug. 1. Poroda is currently the assistant superintendent at Tolles Career & Technical Center in Madison County, the school reported.
The board began the search in December 2020, and throughout the process, it retained search facilitation services from The Ohio School Board Association.
“This has been a complete and thorough process,” said Ted Backus, Delaware City School’s representative on the DACC BOE. “Our administrators, teachers, and community partners had opportunities to meet in focus group settings with the search facilitator, and DACC staff were also invited to meet the two finalists. All those we interviewed along the way were excellent and gave us much to consider. We all know how much Superintendent Freeman has contributed to the growth and stability of our career center. We will always be grateful to her and look forward to similar successes with our new superintendent.”
Backus, one of the board members who hired Freeman, released a statement on the school’s website in which he stated Poroda is the right person to take the DACC down its new path.
“In 2020, DACC adopted a new strategic plan that emphasizes relationships, equity and accessibility,” Backus said. “Mr. Poroda has spent much of his career advocating for these very objectives and is well-suited to move our district forward with the momentum that Superintendent Freeman and the superintendents before her have put into motion.”
In September 2020, Freeman said she will miss the people and camaraderie at the DACC.
“Over the years, I have gotten to know each of our staff members, and I will miss interacting with them,” she said. “I will also miss advocating for students in career and technical education at a state and national level in an official capacity. It has been an absolute pleasure of mine to work with our state and federal leaders to keep career tech at the forefront.”
