Board chooses interim superintendent

When Superintendent Pat Chesbro leaves the school district at the end of the month, one of her right-hand men will take the helm.

At a special meeting last week, the Mat-Su Borough School Board chose Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Finance Bob Doyle as interim superintendent until the position can be filled permanently, a process that often takes months.

Doyle has been with the district since 1982, serving in a number of administrative positions such as director of community services, human resources director, finance director, operations and maintenance director and, most recently, assistant superintendent.

"Bob has a proven ability to responsibly manage our district's resources and is committed to the educational and safety needs of our children," school board president Dan Contini said. Contini, along with members Robert Wells, Bob Johnson, Mike Chmielewski and Larry DeVilbiss, voted in favor of giving the position to Doyle.

And while board vice president Carl Gatto and clerk Linda Menard voted against his appointment, Gatto said it wasn't a matter of not liking Doyle.

"I do support him. He's great," Gatto said. "It's just a matter of someone else being a better choice, barely a better choice."

Gatto said his first choice for interim superintendent would have been Colony Middle School principal John J. Miller, but he added that Doyle was certainly his next choice.

"It was a tough decision for me," Gatto said.

While Gatto said he has no doubt that some people may wonder if Doyle isn't the same as having Pat Chesbro as superintendent, as Doyle worked for her administration for the past two years, Gatto said he doesn't have that concern.

"He never entered into any of the difficulties I've had with the administration," Gatto said.

Doyle assumes leadership of the district during a tumultuous time that includes difficult contract negotiations with the teachers' and classified employees' unions in which strikes have been threatened, the recent resignation of both the superintendent and assistant superintendent and what some are calling an ongoing feud between some Colony High staff and central administration.

Despite these challenges, Doyle says he is looking forward to his new role.

"I am enthusiastic about serving our board and school community in this role, and I will continue to make decisions with the students and staff in mind," Doyle said in a letter to the board. "I am dedicated to ensuring our schools are great places in which to learn and work."