According to James A. Garfield Superintendent Ted Lysiak, he was unaware he was even in consideration for the Martha Jennings Holden Superintendent Award of Excellence until he was notified by the James A. Garfield Board of Education that he had been selected as one of four recipients of the award,
“It is a tremendous honor,” Lysiak told The Weekly Villager on May 21. “It is humbling to know that people think of you in that regard, but I will tell you that there is really nothing that will ever beat being a Superintendent in Garfield. This is a special community and special families and special students and just a tremendous staff that does so much for kids.”
By receiving the honor given to only four Superintendents across the State of Ohio to win the Award, Lysiak is recognized for his leadership, vision, and impact that he has made in the James A. Garfield School District and the broader educational community.
Lysiak will be recognized for this achievement at the Martha Jennings Holden Foundation’s Annual Educator Awards Banquet on July 23 at the Cleveland Marriott East at 6 p.m. In addition, the James A. Garfield School District will receive a $1,000 check to support any district initiative.
“It was very generous,” noted Lysiak. “Maybe we could put it toward our vison of having 95% of our kids engaged in extracurricular, co-curricular or mentorship opportunity. We are getting close to achieving that vision and this might be a way.”
In Lysiak’s 13 years serving as the James A. Garfield Superintendent, he said that the administration has been financially responsible by being collaborative and looking at creative ways to launch new school programs.
He added that the James A. Garfield School District has met financial obligations by receiving generous donations from benefactors who usually match the existing funds to help the District create new school clubs or programs.
“We have had donors that have been very generous in donating to us to get a drone program off of the ground or our E-Sports team off the ground, so lots of things have really come from partnerships. Maybe this would be an opportunity to do a partnership. We have also written a lot of grants,” Lysiak said.
Lysiak said that his name was submitted for consideration as a nominee by several members of the James A. Garfield teaching staff and Board of Education members and was alerted of his participation when Board President Guy Pietra made him aware him of a congratulatory email in his inbox.
He said he was appreciative of the support from the teaching staff and Board of Education for wanting to see his work recognized.
“This is a very difficult job if you do not have that type of support. To know that you are doing the job with that type of support from the people that you work with and the people that you work for, it really does make the job that much easier,” he added.
Lysiak originally arrived in Garrettsville in 2005 with his family as he and his wife were searching for a school district to enroll their sons in.
Once his family visited Garrettsville, Lysiak said that it was love at first sight as he and his wife were impressed with what the James A. School District offered, how they managed their finances and the sense of community.
While living in Garrettsville, Lysiak served as the Director of Instructional Technology and Director of Curriculum and Instruction in the Euclid School District.
He worked in Euclid for nine years and said that he envisioned himself working there until he retired but once he became aware of the Superintendent’s position being vacant in 2013, he was ready for a change.
He acknowledged that the only way he would leave Euclid was if a position in Garrettsville became available and seized his opportunity.
“I loved being part of the community,” Lysiak said. “I volunteered in classrooms and knew several of the administrators and even knew several of the board members before I started here. I had relationships with the teachers that my children had, and we never had a bad experience in James A. Garfield schools. It was not about a promotion to me; it was about being a part of this special family that Garfield has become.”
Since taking the helm 13 years ago, Lysiak has strived to always do what is best for the students but also has emphasized building a positive culture that prioritizes putting the students first.
“Landing in Garfield not just as a job but our home and has been the best career and family move that we ever could have made,” he said.
