By Scott Sullivan
Editor
Mark Neidlinger will succeed Tim Travis seven years ago stepping from Middle/High School principal to superintendent of Saugatuck Public Schools.
The school board picked Neidlinger Oct. 22, on heels of a public interview, to succeed Travis, who will retire as district head Dec. 31. He was the only in-district candidate to apply and only one interviewed.
“The school board,” said president Laura Zangara, “was first interested in seeing if we could promote from within the district before widening our search for the next superintendent.
“In his interview tonight,” she went on, “Mr. Neidlinger demonstrated his incredible dedication to the craft of teaching and learning and reminded us of his deep ties to the community of Saugatuck and Douglas.
“He has done a tremendous job leading our middle/high school for the last seven years through challenges like the global pandemic, and the process of ideating and renovating our buildings, which voters approved in our 2020 bond.
“Mark is an exceptional choice for the district’s next superintendent, and we are thrilled to see him grow in this next step of his career,” Zangara said.
Neidlinger became principal here in 2018, replacing Travis, who had moved from that job to superintendent in late 2017 and done double duties in the interim.
A Jenison native, Neidlinger had previously been principal at Walden Green Montessori in Spring Lake and a teacher for the Chicago Public Schools. He will start in his new role here Jan. 1, 2025.
