2022 - 2023 Superintendent Search

After a thorough and competitive nationwide search that began with 23 candidates, Oakwood Schools Board of Education has selected the District’s next superintendent, Dr. Neil Gupta. Dr. Gupta currently serves as the Director of Secondary Education for Worthington Schools and brings more than 20 years of educational experience to Oakwood.

"Dr. Gupta fulfills many of the superintendent characteristics identified through our community and staff surveys, including strong communication skills, a desire to engage with the community, high expectations for students and staff, a belief in servant leadership, an appreciation of the diversity in Oakwood and a commitment to inclusive practices,” Board of Education President John Wilson said.

The District officially began its search to replace former superintendent Dr. Kyle Ramey, who retired Dec. 31, in November. The Board partnered with K12 Business Consulting to engage the community, staff and students in the search and interview process.  

Dr. Gupta, a graduate of Miami University who earned his master’s and doctorate degrees at Ashland University, says the process gave him a broad perspective of the schools and the community.

“A large reason I am excited to join the Oakwood Schools family has been the comprehensive hiring process.  The process allowed me to learn about the school district and community pride for our schools as well as meeting students, staff, and families.  While I don’t officially begin until August, I have fallen in love with the Oakwood community,” Dr. Gupta said.

The Oakwood community, staff and students are invited to a welcome reception for Dr. Gupta this week. The reception will be held Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Smith Library.

While Interim Superintendent Allyson Couch will continue to lead the District until Dr. Gupta takes over Aug. 1., the new leader says he is already making plans for the future.

“I hope to bring a unified vision to align our staff and community in the areas of high student achievement, safe and secure schools, and efficient and effective operations.  I hope to maintain the traditions in our schools that make Oakwood special while integrating innovative opportunities to ensure our students are prepared for life after graduation,” Dr. Gupta said.

Board of Education members want to thank everyone who participated in the search process and look forward to continuing to engage the community and the new superintendent.

"The Board looks forward to working with Dr. Gupta as he begins to get to know our community and the students, staff and administrators of Oakwood Schools. We are excited about Dr. Gupta's leadership and vision for the future.” Wilson said.

Jan. 6
Application deadline

Jan. 9
Candidate screening

Jan. 17 - 18
First round interviews with BOE and District administrative team

Jan. 24 - 25
Final candidate interviews with invited staff and community members

Jan. 31 - Feb. 1
Final candidate interviews with BOE and “Meet and Greet”
3:30 p.m. Staff with one candidate each day
4:45 p.m. Community with one candidate each day

Feb. 6
Announcement of new superintendent

Jan. 9, 2023

During the summer, Oakwood Schools Board of Education began a partnership with K-12 Business Consulting to identify Oakwood Schools’ next superintendent.

As part of this process, K-12 has worked with the District to:

• Create a district profile presenting demographic information and highlights of the District and community
• Hold four community-wide open forums as well as conduct an online survey to gather perspectives from stakeholders about their priorities for our schools
• Evaluate and summarize the survey results into an actionable report, providing candidates insight into the community and Board members insight into preferred qualities for the next superintendent

The Board expresses its deep appreciation for all who took the time to share their hopes and dreams for Oakwood Schools.

Jan. 9, 2023 marks a significant pivot in this process.  After the Board of Education Organizational and Regular meetings, Board members will enter into executive session with K-12 consultants to screen applicants and select candidates to advance to first-round interviews.  

Continue to check this page for additional information regarding the interview schedule.  The public is invited to participate in a public meet and greet of the final candidates Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.  We will post more details about those events in the upcoming weeks. We hope you will join us to meet the finalists and continue to be an active participant in this critical process. 

Dec. 12, 2022

Representatives from K12 Business Consulting presented results from the series of meetings and submitted surveys at the Board of Education December Regular Meeting.

• Dec. 12, 2022 Presentation Slides
• Superintendent Search Profile Report

Oct. 12, 2022

Oakwood Schools will officially begin the search for its next superintendent in November, replacing current superintendent Dr. Kyle Ramey, who will retire Dec. 31.

• Job posting will be released statewide Nov. 10
• K12 will facilitate focus group meetings in early November to create the Superintendent Profile
• K12 will share the details of the meetings at the Nov. 7 Regular Board of Education meeting
• K12 will present the Superintendent Profile at the Dec. 12 Regular Board of Education meeting
• Board of Education will take official action to name Allyson Couch, the current Oakwood Schools Director of Educational Services and Human Resources, as the District’s interim superintendent to serve Jan. 1 through the start date of the next superintendent.
• Job posting will close Jan. 6, 2023

Board Vice President John Wilson says he and other BOE members believe partnering with the community will provide the District with the best leader to continue to move forward.

"The Oakwood Board of Education puts community involvement first and foremost in the search for our new superintendent.  We have developed a plan that provides multiple opportunities for all community members and stakeholders to share their thoughts and hopes for the future.  We look forward to working together to write the next chapter of our community’s schools.”

Oct. 10, 2022

The Board of Education met in Executive Session Monday, Oct. 10 to prepare next steps in the Superintendent Search.  A community-wide update regarding community engagement and the process to name an interim superintendent will be presented later in the week of Oct. 10.

Sept. 12, 2022

As a reminder, the Oakwood Schools Board of Education prioritized a great start to the school year, and has encouraged the staff’s focus on that objective during August and September.

• On Sept. 1, the Board held a Special Meeting in executive session to continue its preliminary work and due diligence. At the conclusion of that meeting, Board members determined the current plan is to pursue external candidates who best align to the Superintendent Profile (to be developed by the search process) and best fit the #OneOakwood mindset. 
• The Board continues its work to identify an interim superintendent who will begin serving Jan. 1, 2023.  The Board plans to name the interim superintendent in mid-October.
• The Board continues to meet with its search partner, K-12.  On Oct. 10, the Board and K-12 will conduct an Organizational Meeting. During that meeting, the Board, in part, will authorize a district and community-wide engagement strategy to be led by K-12.  That engagement is expected to begin Nov. 8.
• Board members have received questions about how individuals/organizations can participate in the search process. Following the Oct. 10 Organizational Meeting, more specifics will be shared about how stakeholders can and will be engaged. 
• If you are interested in sharing your thoughts about the attributes or qualifications you hope to see in the next Oakwood Schools Superintendent, please send an email to Debbie Campbell of K-12 at DCampbell@k12consulting.net

1. The Board has engaged a consultant, K-12 Business Consulting, to help facilitate its search.  

2. The Board is working with K-12 to develop a process and schedule, which will be released as soon as it's finalized. The Board anticipates the process and schedule to run through July 2023.  

3. The Board anticipates naming an interim superintendent in or around November to serve during its search for a permanent hire. 

4. Beginning in November, the Board plans for a deliberate process to engage a representative cross-section of the community and district (including families, teachers, students, staff, residents and community leaders).

5. The District's leadership team will continue to lead and partner in the excellent work in progress around important initiatives, like the Master Facilities Plan, the FLOURISH campaign, Community Engagement, the Permanent Improvement Levy in November, the continuous capital/operational planning and oversight, the ongoing focus on health and wellness of all students, the Central Office and Building transitions, and the other important matters occurring across the District.  

6. The primary duty of an excellent learning environment is to focus attention on the delivery of education. For the next several weeks, the Board, the leadership team and all District staff members intend to squarely focus on the successful start to another school year and assure a seamless continuation of each student's growth and development. 

7. The board will provide regular updates at its Regular Meetings and post on this page.