With the departure of Richard Goodright, assistant superintendent, the Wooster City School District is making some significant changes to its Central Office staff.

Goodright submitted his resignation effective July 31 in order to assume his new responsibilities as the superintendent of the Massillon City School District.

The Wooster City Schools board of education accepted Goodright’s resignation at its June 28 meeting.

Goodright’s departure set in motion a series of moves designed to deal with gaps created when the district’s tight budget led to the elimination of multiple Central Office positions in recent years.

The board unanimously approved the creation of two new Central Office positions – director of elementary education and director of secondary education – and eliminated the position of director of educational services and interventions.

Superintendent Michael Tefs advised the board that at one time the organization consisted of a “superintendent and treasurer, then assistant superintendent, director of curriculum and instruction and corresponding administrative assistant, supervisor of curriculum and instruction and corresponding administrative assistant, director of human resources and director of assessment and accountability.

“Now we are just down to superintendent and treasurer and four directors – director of business, director of pupil services, director of elementary education and director of secondary education,” said Tefs, adding, “it’s a little bit cleaner and it certainly is more consolidated.”

According to Tefs, the new director of elementary education position “allows us to point all of these jobs around one person” for the elementary school level.

That person will be Mark Stefanik, former director of educational services and interventions, who served as the point person for preschool, Boys Village, Christian Children’s Home of Ohio, alternative education and the Opportunity School and the alternative education sites at Edgewood Middle School and Wooster High School.

“It’s a bold task and Mr. Stefanik is up to it,” said Tefs.

“Because we are realigning in Central Office this is a position that is really a transfer for him,” said Tefs, noting that the position is “cost neutral” for the district.

Like Stefanik, on the prekindergarten through sixth grade side, the new director of secondary education, Richard Leone, will be responsible for educational services, interventions, human resources, curriculum and instruction for grades seven through 12.

Leone, who most recently served as principal at Edgewood Middle School, will be assuming the tasks Goodright has focused on for the past year.

Tefs noted that it was his “pleasure and honor” to recommend Leone for the position.

“He is quite a young educator who has made significant gains at the middle school,” said Tefs. “I look forward to working with him at the secondary level.”

Replacing Leone will be Rodney Hopton, who has served as Edgewood Middle School’s associate principal for the past five years.

Tefs described Hopton as “a consummate professional” who “knows our strategic priorities especially when it comes to the Ohio Improvement Process and the initiatives that we are implementing to close the achievement gaps.

“You are seeing succession planning at its finest here,” said Tefs of the realignment. “We are very fortunate to be able to grow talent and move them around like this into higher leadership positions.”

In addition to accepting Goodright’s resignation, the board also accepted the resignation of Vicki Turner, Wooster High School associate principal, who recently accepted a principal position at Strongsville High School.

“Though sad about both of these resignations, at the same time I am very excited for these two individuals,” said Tefs. “We’re excited for both of them in their new career endeavors.”

According to Tefs, interviews for the candidates seeking Turner’s position will begin immediately.