MCCSC chooses DeMuth as new superintendent

The decision was unanimous. After a four month search process, Judith DeMuth has been named the next superintendent of Monroe County Community School Corporation.

DeMuth will be joining her son, Dustin, in Bloomington, who is a freshman baseball player at IU.

But DeMuth said she hopes to settle down for the long run, even after her son leaves the city.

Some community members are concerned about DeMuth’s commitment to MCCSC after she ended a three-year contract with Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation early due to personal issues.

School board member Sue Wanzer said she is confident DeMuth will be with the school district for many years.

A contract has not yet been negotiated, but Wanzer said they hope to finalize negotiations by the end of the week. Standard contracts for superintendents last three years.

When former MCCSC superintendent John Coopman resigned early, he wrote a letter citing his decisions on quarrels with a “micromanaging” school board.

Wanzer said she is certain that DeMuth will establish good relationships with the school board and with administrators.

“DeMuth is the complete package,” Wanzer said. “She uses data well but still believes that relationships are the basis of strong leaderships. She is very collaborative.”

At her March 23 public interview session, DeMuth said she will treat school officials as a second family.

While Wanzer said members of the school board are excited to begin working with DeMuth, some citizens continue to voice concern about a lingering sexual misconduct case from her former school district, LaPorte Community School Corporation.

But school board President Jim Muehling has confirmed that DeMuth is not legally accountable for the relationship between a volleyball coach and a female student.

“I am not running from LaPorte or that situation,” DeMuth said. “I am proud of the way my staff handled the situation and I hope LaPorte can move forward from the unfortunate situation. I hope I can move forward with this great opportunity.”

DEMUTH'S PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

-Teacher/coach, Highland High School (1977-78)
-Teacher/assistant athletic director, Richmond High School (1978-81)
-Administrative assistant, Connersville High School (1981-84)
-Assistant principal, Highland Junior High School (1984-85)
-Principal, Highland High School (1985-88)
-Director of personnel/labor relations, Highland, Ind. (1988-97)
-Assistant superintendent for personnel and business, Highland, Ind. (1997-2003)
-Superintendent of schools, Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation (2003-05)
-Superintendent of schools, LaPorte Community School Corporation (2005-11)