Konkle, who is a 14-year veteran of Hamilton Schools and a former principal at two of its elementary buildings, is a good fit, said Ross board members, for replacing departing Superintendent Scott Gates.
“Chad brings an incredible range of experiences to the Ross Schools. When you look at his career path, he truly has done just about everything in education. We’re extremely fortunate to be able to hire someone of Chad’s caliber to lead our district,” wrote Ross Board of Education President Sean Van Winkle in statement released after the board’s vote to hire.
Prior to working at Hamilton city schools, which borders the Ross district, Konkle served as a teacher and administrator in Hamilton County’s Oak Hills Schools and Cincinnati Public Schools.
The Ross board gave Konkle a three-year contract paying him an annual salary of $133,859.
On Aug. 1 he will replace Gates, who resigned in June to take the assistant director of alternative education with Butler County Educational Services Center, which serves all 10 public school systems in the county.
The 2,700-student Ross district is consistently the top academic performer in Butler County in the annual Ohio Department of Education’s annual report card.
In Konkle’s statement, he said he was eager to continue that legacy.
“It is an honor to serve as the next superintendent of Ross Local School District. I thank the Ross school board for entrusting the care of this outstanding district to me - the vision, goals and drive of this school board is of the highest quality,” he said.
“I eagerly look forward to working with all members of the Ross district to achieve unprecedented success. Additionally, it is truly an honor to serve the families of Ross. It is my pleasure to serve in a district that is centered around high expectations, dedicated collaboration, and a strong sense of family,” said Konkle.
Hamilton Schools Superintendent Mike Holbrook said during that district’s school board meeting Thursday evening: “Hamilton’s loss is Ross’ gain.”
“He (Konkle) has been an asset to Hamilton Schools for 14 years and he will be sorely missed,” said Holbrook.
Later in a released statement Holbrook said of Konkle: “He is a well-educated, knowledgeable, hard-working, and experienced administrator. His greatest assets, however, are his collaborative leadership style and his belief that all students can learn.”
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