For former Garfield High School principal Michael Dobran, time really is a flat circle. Dobran is returning to where it all started, having been named as the new superintendent of the Windham School District after signing a three-year contract.
“Being in a leadership position and to visit all of the schools in Portage County, I had good experiences here and everywhere I have been in Portage County. I feel very comfortable in Portage County and the process now of getting to know the community of Windham better is really exciting for me,” Dobran told The Weekly Villager on Aug 2.
Dobran replaces former Windham superintendent Aireane Curtis, who is leaving to become Crestwood’s new superintendent after five years in the Windham School district. It marks his third stint as a member of the education system in Portage County.
He returns after spending seven years as the testing, gifted and credit recovery coordinator at Massillon Washington High School. Although Dobran has been an educator for approximately two decades, this will be his first position as a superintendent.
According to Dobran, although his first superintendent position is in a smaller school district, he could not think of a better place to start. Although his previous experience working in Portage County was when he was a member of the Garfield School District, he got to know Windham quite well.
“I was looking for a district that has a lot of pride in their community and a district where the school and community are tight knit,” he noted. “When I look at my previous educational experiences with the knowledge I had about Windham, Windham was a great fit.”
While working at Garfield High School, Dobran said he developed extensive knowledge and working relationships in Portage County which he maintained even when he worked at Massillon Washington, and he believes being familiar with Portage County helped him stand out.
“I have already become reacquainted with some of the people I knew here and formed new relationships here which I am very excited about, the same way I felt about Windham seven years ago, I still feel the same way about Windham now for sure,” he noted.
A 1999 Hiram College graduate, Dobran’s first teaching position was at Garfield High School when he was hired as a math teacher. He was already familiar with the school district, having served as a football assistant coach when he was still in college and was the head baseball coach during the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
Originally an engineering student, Dobran said he switched his major because he wanted to work in a field where he felt he could make a bigger impact.
“All of the teachers from the custodians to the cafeteria workers to the bus drivers to the administration and to upper-level administration, everything impacts people in different ways; in education you have the chance to do that,” he said.
Dobran only spent one year at Garfield before he took another position at Massillon Washington as a math teacher. He soon took an administrative job in Alliance for two years but returned to Garrettsville as the assistant principal of Garfield High School in 2012 and was eventually promoted principal in 2014.
He acknowledged that despite the face that he only spent six years in the Portage County School District, they were unforgettable years and Portage County became engrained in him.
“I always say Portage County has been good to me so coming back here is special and nice. From a decision-making process, it was an easy decision,” he said. “I formed lots of positive relationships from leaders and teachers to community members and business leaders in Portage County. I am going to continue to do that and I feel great about it.”
Dobran left Garfield in 2017 to return to Massillon Washington, marking the second time he moved from Portage County to Stark County. Throughout his career, Dobran has been drawn to only working in either Portage County or Stark County.
Although it has been a while since he worked in Portage County, Dobran said a lot has remained the same while acknowledging things have also changed.
“I know education has obviously changed a lot since 2020 because of the pandemic; that was everywhere. As far as navigating Portage County, we have plenty of meetings coming up with the superintendents.,” he said.
Now Doban has once again been drawn back to where he cut his teeth as a teacher. While this marks the beginning of Dobran’s career as a superintendent, he can already foresee himself staying in Windham for a long time and maybe even the rest of his career.
