By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
CENTREVILLE — The St. Joseph County Intermediate School District has found its next superintendent.
Jim Berry, the current Career and Technical Education director for the ISD, was offered the superintendent’s position Monday by the ISD’s Board of Education. With his selection, he will succeed Teresa Belote, who is retiring at the end of the academic year, and will start June 1.
Berry was one of three candidates interviewed by the ISD’s superintendent search committee on Thursday, March 19, alongside current Cheboygan Area Schools Superintendent Spencer Byrd and Covenant Christian School (Mishawaka, Ind.) math teacher Pamela Campbell, who had previously been a superintendent at four different districts in two different states.
Berry received praise Monday from board members, nearly all of which sat in on Thursday’s interviews.
“I think it was clear with the interview committee that Mr. Berry was the top candidate amongst everyone that was there,” ISD Board Vice President Ben Fries said prior to Monday’s vote. “I think he’ll be a perfect replacement for Dr. Teresa Belote.”
In an interview after the meeting, Berry said he is grateful and eager for the opportunity to be selected as the new head honcho at the ISD.
“I am ecstatic the board has put their trust in me, and I look forward to working with staff at the ISD,” Berry said. “I’m thrilled to be the next superintendent of the St. Joseph County ISD. This is fantastic news.”
As Berry was offered the job after the first interview, there will not be a second round of interviews or site visits, which were previously part of the process of hiring the new superintendent.
Berry, who currently lives in the Coloma area, has been with the ISD since 2022, and previously spent 22 years at St. Joseph High School in multiple roles in both teaching and administration, including as a drafting and design teacher, a counselor, an assistant principal, and the school’s CTE director. According to his resume, Berry has overseen the development of the CTE program while at the St. Joseph County ISD, expanding participation by 200 students and helping design the CTE Mobile Career Lab, while also adding a Special Populations Consultant and Instructional Coach to the program’s staff.
He holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in career and technical education from Western Michigan University, as well as a master’s degree in school counseling and a specialist in education degree in educational leadership from Grand Valley State University.
In their interviews, all three candidates answered the same list of more than a dozen questions asked by the committee, which comprised of members of the ISD staff and administration from different departments and a representative from the ISD’s Parent Advisory Committee. Four of the five ISD Board members were also in attendance, with Patricia Keller the lone absence.
Each interview lasted a little less than an hour, and after all three interviews were complete, the committee discussed them in thorough detail; ISD Board members did not provide comment. All the committee members had effusive praise for Berry’s interview, with some noting he interviewed the best out of all three, and noted his preparation for the interview. Byrd was noted by many committee members as their second-choice candidate if the ISD Board wished to select two to advance to a second round of interviews.
Berry, who was the second interview of the evening, began his interview by talking about his “blue collar” background in drafting and machine operating, which parlayed itself into his teaching career. He said he always thought an administrative role was in his future, and that it has “always been in my heart to be a leader.” He said he also had plenty of motivation for going for the superintendent job at the ISD.
“Over the last four years, the categorical budget swings, you see opportunities for kids, and when funding is in jeopardy, and I see all the great work our different departments are doing with kids across the county, it’s my intention and I’d like to be in more of an advocacy role,” Berry said. “I’ve not applied anywhere else, and I plan on retiring here regardless, one way or the other. It’s a great place to work.”
When asked about his short-term and long-term goals if hired as superintendent, Berry said he developed an “entry-level plan” that included getting to know the board and their communication preferences, getting to know the staff, and being visible throughout the ISD buildings in the short-term, and, in the long-term, continuing relationships with the local school districts and performing community outreach.
“Initially, it’s being visible. I’m a relationships person, and I think if you know me in here, it’s all about relationships. And I want to be a good listener. It’s really listening and learning, to sum up that one-year, three-year, five-year plan,” Berry said.
He described his leadership style in another question as being a “very positive person” and a “servant leader,” a remark that some on the committee noted in their discussion of the interviews later in the evening. He also added that he wants people to be the “best versions of themselves,” and later said he would work plenty on team building with staff and administration so they feel “empowered” and feel they are part of the group.
Berry said he would continue to work with local superintendents and the president of Glen Oaks Community College, saying the relationships he has with them have been “great” thus far. He also noted he is “definitely an advocate” for special education, but stopped short of saying he was an “expert” on the subject.
“I’m not an expert on special education, but I am an advocate. I will work and listen to make sure our entire special populations group is heard, supported, and that’s countywide,” Berry said.
He later said if he becomes a superintendent, he would learn more about the community by getting involved in local service groups and different community activities as a way to get the “ISD face in the community.”
As for contract negotiations, Berry said he has not been at the bargaining table as of yet in his career, but noted he had been an association representative in the district’s teachers’ union during his time at St. Joseph High School in St. Joseph, representing nearly 60 staff members, and was a member of the association’s Insurance Committee.
Berry added he would need to learn more about the overall ISD budget and its nuances as well, saying when asked about his prior career involvement in the budgeting process that he has done June projections with CTE and “living within that budget” while getting monthly reports. As superintendent, he said he would have regular meetings to make sure the ISD is “living” in their budget categories while also being a “forward thinker” with the budget.
“I need to be in tune with finances, regularly talking with the business team,” Berry said. “Keeping the board updated on finances monthly, updates from Lansing, it’s communication. The short of it is we’d have regular meetings.”
He closed his interview by saying he felt “prepared” to step into the role.
“I think being familiar with this organization and across the county, I feel like I’m very prepared to step into this role. I think there’s an opportunity to work with Dr. Belote and the current administrative team and staff and talk about welcome-back activities in August,” Berry said. “I’m a forward-thinker, I’ve already thought about, if I get this role, who could step in as the next CTE person. … I’m here to learn, I’m excited, I’m coachable, I’m not going to let you down.”
Out of the three candidates, it was noted by the search committee that Berry was the only one to have questions for the committee at the end of the interview; he asked about the ISD’s strategic plan and what types of things the board wanted to “celebrate” with a superintendent evaluation.
At Monday’s meeting, ISD Board President Elizabeth O’Dell thanked the committee for their work in interviewing the candidates.
“I thank them for their candor, their attention to detail, and their flexibility,” O’Dell said.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
