MADISON — Rob Peterson was a Madison student, teacher, coach and principal. Now he’s the district’s newest superintendent.
Peterson said he was honored Friday afternoon to receive a three-year contract at $115,000 per year and is excited to be chosen to lead the district while working with parents, teachers and staff.
“I feel honored to be selected to lead the Madison Local School District and I would like to thank the Board of Education for providing me with this opportunity,” Peterson said. “I have a strong passion for Madison students, staff, and the Madison community and look forward to providing the necessary leadership and support to help move the district forward. We have great students at Madison, and we want to challenge them and support them every day so that when they graduate they are fully ready to be successful in the pathway of their choice.
“I don’t want to focus on the past,” the Class of 1986 graduate said. “I want to focus on the present and the future. I want to cultivate a culture of unity and support and reunite our district with the community.”
Peterson was hired Friday over two other candidates in a 4-1 school board vote, with member Jane McGinty’s dissent. The “virtual meeting” was live-streamed on the district’s Facebook page.
“I’m not really against you, but I’m against you, and not because of your experience,” McGinty said to Peterson during the vote. “We should sit down and talk.”
Peterson has served the past 12 years as the high school principal. He received his bachelor’s degree from the College of Wooster, where he majored in English.
He earned a master’s degree in administration and superintendent’s licensure from Ashland University. Peterson and his wife, Heather, have two adult children, Morgan (26) and Cory (24), who are graduates of Madison High School and Cedarville University.
Peterson’s first day on the job will be Aug. 1.
Board President Tim Wigton said Peterson’s longevity and commitment to the district were key factors in the hiring.
“There was also the factor of our times with the closings of school and uncertainty of when they will open,” Wigton said. “He has been working and been very involved with those decisions with (acting superintendent John) Thomas and other administrators.
“We just felt we were going to have a continuation of some of these issues and he’d be better fit for us and the staff,” Wigton said.
Board member Amy Walker also praised Peterson.
“He has the experience that we need and there is only one candidate who fits this district,” she said. “The experience of where we’ve been, Mr. Peterson lived right through it.”
Peterson said his main focus during the transition period is creating a plan for the district to return from the school shutdowns during COVID-19. He is working with Thomas, whose contract expires July 31.
“We are working on a recovery plan and trying to figure out how to get back to normal,” Peterson said.
Thomas was hired on an acting basis in May 2019. He replaced Lee Kaple, who stepped in after district superintendent Shelley Hilderbrand was placed on paid administrative leave in the fall of 2018.
Hilderbrand’s tenure at Madison was embroiled in controversy, including a brief walk-out by approximately 200 Madison High School students in March 2018. That incident was in protest of her decision to discipline students who directed negative tweets toward the administration on her Twitter feed.
During Hilderbrand’s tenure, a group of parents questioned the STEM curriculum that would be mandatory in the district in the place of other electives.
Hilderbrand also recommended the board not renew the contract of popular teacher Eddie Walker. More than 150 people attended a May 31, 2018 school board meeting and it was agreed by a unanimous vote of the board that Walker’s contract should be renewed.
The board negotiated a resignation agreement in June 2019 with Hilderbrand that pays her through the end of her initial three-year contact, which expires at the end of the current school year.
Peterson also had a stint as the school’s head baseball coach for a number of years and was also an assistant high school basketball coach.
Peterson had a two-year stint in minor league baseball, according to the Wooster Daily Record. He played catcher for the Welland Pirates.
Peterson’s baseball career began in 1989, taken by the Pirates in the 32nd round of the draft out of the College of Wooster in Ohio. He went to Wooster out of Mansfield, Ohio’s Madison High, according to a blog called Greatest21days.
Peterson signed with the Pirates having played ball in the summer amateur Greater Akron AA Baseball League. In three years in the league, including his first while still in high school, Peterson made two all-star teams. Peterson started with the Pirates at short-season Welland. He played 16 games and hit .184.
He then played 1990 at Welland and at single-A Augusta. He played in 45 games between them and hit .213.
Peterson said he’s optimistic the community will rally for the challenge ahead.
“We have a great group of teachers, classified staff, and a strong administrative team that really cares about our students,” he said. “I look forward to providing our staff and administration with a strong system of support so that they can continue to provide our students with great experiences and a quality education.”
He also had some words of encouragement to the district since they have not been together since March.
“Our school district is the center of our community, and with the closure of our schools due to the pandemic,” Peterson said. “I know it has been difficult on Madison students, families, and staff, and I just really look forward to the day when we can all see each others smiling faces and gather again as a Ram Family.”
