Lakota school district names interim superintendent

LIBERTY TWP. — The interim leader for Lakota Local Schools saw his employment contract approved earlier this week by the district’s governing board.

The Lakota Board of Education approved promoting Assistant Superintendent Robb Vogelmann to interim superintendent in the wake of the resignation of former Lakota Superintendent Matt Miller.

Vogelmann’s new job of overseeing the daily operations of the 17,500-student school system came after a 4-1 board vote with member Darbi Boddy casting the “no” vote during Monday evening’s board meeting.

It’s not the first time the veteran Lakota employee has led Butler County’s largest district.

In the latter portion of 2016 and early 2017 he served as acting superintendent in the wake of the unexpected departure of then Superintendent Karen Mantia and prior to the hiring of Miller.

Board member Julie Shaffer — and three other members who supported his promotion — voiced their backing for Vogelmann and their appreciation for him seeking to fill the gap left by Miller’s unexpected departure.

“Thank you for being willing to take on this role. We look forward … to working with you as our superintendent,” said Shaffer.

Board President Lynda O’Connor told Vogelmann: “You have been doing a very terrific and professional job.”

His contract begins retroactively to Feb. 1 and under the agreement, the board must provide him five days’ notice of end of employment in the new position after notification of the board’s hiring of a permanent superintendent.

His assistant superintendent contract runs through July 31, 2025.

Vogelmann’s new contract pays him a per diem rate of $738 per school or work day.

Now in his 26th year at Lakota, Vogelmann began his career in education as a math teacher at Northwest High School in northern Hamilton County.

A long-time resident of Lakota’s district, he still has children in the school system.

After two years teaching at Northwest, he was hired at Lakota’s Liberty Junior School in 1997, where he taught until 2002 and then became a building administrator.

Vogelmann was an assistant principal at Lakota East High School from 2002-2009. He then served as principal at Liberty Junior until 2012 when he was named assistant superintendent.

“I am very grateful for your trust in me and your belief in me,” Vogelmann told the Board following his Jan. 19 appointment. “It’s an honor and privilege to serve this community and I look forward to the challenge ahead.”

Vogelmann’s directive recently shared in a district announcement to both Lakota staffers and school families was to “stay the course,” and to keep working hard and keep investing in students every day.

“I want our staff to continue giving kids experiences so they can go and do what they want to do and be what they want to be,” he said.

About the Author