Longtime administrator announces retirement
Search for replacement to begin in January
By Jennifer Mitchell
Rocky River
Published Sept. 20, 2006

Though Rocky River City Schools won’t say goodbye to retiring Superintendent Dennis Allen until July, plans already are in the works for finding his eventual replacement.

Allen announced his intention to depart at last Wednesday’s school board meeting. The 36-year educator joined Rocky River schools as superintendent in 1995. Although he will continue oversight of district activities through July 2007, his contract with the board expires Dec. 30.

The administrator and educator said the time for retirement was right for him and his family, although it won’t be easy to leave. Allen described his decision as already “much harder than I thought and much harder than I even think right now. I think (education) has been really the No. 1 thing in my life.”

The Board of Education is working with Allen on a transition plan, slated for introduction in October. A search for a new superintendent likely will begin in January.

Board president Kathy Goepfert said that Allen, who has been a tremendous asset to the district and the community, will help with the search. She added that the school board is sorry to see him go.

Allen helped pass operating levies in 1996, ‘99, 2002, and ’05 and also aided in the 1997 bond campaign, resulting in a new middle school and facilities updates. Under his leadership, the district consistently earned excellent ratings on the Ohio Department of Education’s state report card. During his tenure the district has been annually ranked by the editors of Cleveland Magazine as one of the top 10 districts in Greater Cleveland. Both the high school and middle school were recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education and this past year, Rocky River High School was named an Intel/Scholastic School of Distinction. 

“It has been a wonderful experience to work with the staff, the students and the community of Rocky River, and any success I may have had as a superintendent is a direct reflection of the caliber of people with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working,” Allen said in a recent release.

He added that the school board’s dedication and that of the community keep the district thriving. He also said he has vast respect for fellow Westshore educators and superintendents, who have shared their experience and professionalism with him over the years.

“I’ve enjoyed the relationships I’ve had with them,” Allen said.

The superintendent said he plans to keep his focus on the district, not retirement. He announced several goals at the beginning of the year and is already working to make them happen.

Among them is a master plan for the district, something that was last visited in 1995 when Allen was hired. Though the study will begin next year, Allen and fellow administrators are working on organizing it and seeking out professionals to help.

“We’ll be ready to hit the ground running next year,” Allen said.