2 stand out on list for school chief in Bedford

5/4/2001

SAMARIA - Two geographically far-flung educators emerged last night as the leading prospects among seven candidates who will be interviewed to be the next superintendent of Bedford public schools.

The board of education, during its meeting at the Bedford Senior Center here, expressed interest in interviewing Ernie Manzie, an assistant superintendent in Fairbanks, Ala., and Stacy Holmes, a superintendent in Westchester County, N.Y., to replace Dr. William Hall, the former superintendent, whom the board demoted in September.

Mr. Manzie and Mr. Holmes will compete for the job with five other candidates during interviews scheduled to begin Thursday night. The other five candidates are David Schiebel, an assistant superintendent in Gull Lake, Mich.; Kirk Sulzman, superintendent in Fowler, Mich.; Jim Goebel, superintendent in Melvindale-Allen Park, Mich.; David Myers, superintendent in South Haven, Mich., and Thomas Gay, former superintendent in Redford, Mich.

Dan Zimolzak, director of finance for the Jackson County, Michigan, Intermediate School District, was named as an alternate candidate in case one of the contenders drops out.

Four of the 11 applicants initially chosen by the board were in similar situations as Bedford's previous superintendent, Dr. Hall. They found themselves in conflict with their boards of education for one reason or another.

In other action last night, the board approved a measure to refinance the loan it took out in 1997 to pay for construction of the Bedford Community Stadium. The new five-year note reduces the annual payments on the $683,000 still owed on the project from $150,000 a year to $75,000 a year.

The stadium is being funded almost entirely with private money raised by the Bedford Alumni Association.

The board also approved a pilot all-day kindergarten program that will begin in the fall at Smith Road and Douglas Road elementary schools. Each of the two classes will have 25 pupils. A lottery will be used to choose students living within the boundaries of the two elementary schools. The remaining kindergarten classes will be in traditional half-day sessions.