BLANCHESTER — A familiar face with wide-ranging experience in the field of education has been chosen by the Blanchester Local Schools Board of Education to lead the district as its next superintendent.
Randy Dunlap was unanimously approved during Tuesday’s special Blanchester School Board meeting. He is currently the Superintendent of Crestview Local Schools — in Richland County near Ashland in Northeast Ohio — a position he’s held since 2014.
However, he knows Clinton County very well — experience gained during more than 25 years with two of the county’s four school districts.
Between 1997 and 2014 Dunlap served the Clinton-Massie district in roles including high school principal, middle school/high school principal, assistant principal and athletic director/assistant principal; and he was a mathematics teacher at Blanchester High School from 1989 to 1998, serving as athletic director in 1996-97.
Current Blancheester Superintendent Dean Lynch announced at the board’s reorganizational meeting in early January that he is retiring from public education effective “end of my contractual duties, July 31, 2021.” A Blanchester graduate, Lynch became superintendent in January 2013 and has served his alma mater for 17 years of his 33-year career in education.
Board President Kyle Wilson said that, while the superintendent search process was long, it went very well.
“I couldn’t have worked with better folks through that process,” said Wilson. “We had a lot of interest in this position. We are extremely proud to welcome the Dunlaps to the community.” Dunlap and his wife have three adult children.
Dunlap told the board and those in attendance he has major ambitions for his tenure at Blanchester.
“The first thing is to establish relationships with the people,” he said. “I do that through an entry-year program where I go out and interview different groups. I like to talk to administrators, teachers, union leaders, community members; I want to talk to every board member individually.”
The next superintendent believes that going out in the community helps educate him as he listens to residents’ thoughts and perspectives and gives him a better understanding on how to address any issues. He wants to get a “true feel” for what people are thinking.
“There’s a lot of positive that’s here already, and it’s just a matter of extending that and building on that going forward,” said Dunlap.
Dunlap holds degrees from The Ohio State University — a Master of Arts in Educational Theory and Practice, and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. He has also done post-graduate work in Administration at the University of Cincinnati, the University of Dayton, and Wright State University.
He is a longtime member of the Boy Scouts of America, both currently in the Ashland area and previously as Charter Organization representative for Troop 155 in Clarksville. He also currently serves with business advisory councils in the Ashland area.
Last month it was announced that the school board had selected the Southern Ohio Educational Service Center (SOESC) to assist with the selection of their next superintendent.
The SOESC has previously assisted local boards of education with superintendent searches over the past several years, including Clinton-Massie, East Clinton, Fairfield and Miami Trace.
