School district appoints superintendent
By Ben Saylor
Rocky River
Published May 2, 2007

Michael Shoaf

The Rocky River Board of Education officially made Dr. Michael Shoaf their latest superintendent in an announcement at last Thursday’s board meeting.

Shoaf is currently superintendent for the Painesville Township Local School District, which contains eight schools with 4,776 students. He replaces longtime superintendent Dennis Allen, who is retiring at the end of this school year.

Shoaf was introduced to some of the Rocky River community earlier Thursday as well, as he and wife Lisa, a professor at John Carroll University, attended the April Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Westwood Country Club, where he was introduced to the group by board of education president Scott Swartz.

Shoaf has 11 years of administrative experience, all in the Painesville Township Local School District. He has served as an assistant principal, associate principal, principal, athletic director and assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. Before his administrative work, he taught social studies for four years, three in Maple Heights, one in the Cardinal Local School District.

Shoaf earned his bachelor of science in education in comprehensive social studies education from the Ohio State University. He also earned his Master of Arts degree in educational policy and leadership from that institution. He earned his Ph.D in education from Youngstown State University in 2003.

While he currently lives in Chardon with his family, Shoaf said he plans to move Lisa, along with the couple’s two children, Michael, 6, and Madeleine, 2, to Rocky River. The Shoafs currently live in Chardon.

“It’s exciting times for us,” Shoaf said.

When asked about what drew him to Rocky River, Shoaf said the city has “a district with a great reputation,” and that he wanted to have his children attend school in the same district he serves in.

Shoaf said that the two traits that make him a good fit for Rocky River are that he has a “strong background in curriculum and instruction,” and he also has a solid understanding of fiscal management and fiscal responsibility.

“This would be a real tough job if you are not on top of finances,” Shoaf said. “I think that’s a very high priority.”

Shoaf also attested to the breadth of his administrative experience.

“I have a pretty broad background in administration,” Shoaf said.

One of Shoaf’s goals for Rocky River is to implement more technological updates in the classroom, although he said that would not happen right away as he will need to become acclimated to the district first.

“I have to learn the job,” Shoaf said. He said one of the favorite parts of his position at Painesville Township was the student-superintendent luncheons he did regularly. Principals would select the students, who would then have lunch with the superintendent.

Shoaf also had words of praise for his predecessor.

“I think I have some pretty big shoes to fill following Dennis Allen,” Shoaf said.

Shoaf will officially start in Rocky River at the beginning of the next school year. His hiring caps a several-month process in which the board hired Kathy LaSota from the Ohio School Boards Association to assist in their search, which yielded about 50 applicants.