Tecumseh school board approves contract with new superintendent
TECUMSEH — With a quick, 7-0 vote Monday, the Tecumseh Board of Education wrapped up its search for a new superintendent.
Matt Hilton's tenure as the Tecumseh school district's superintendent will begin May 20. He was the unanimous selection of the board members on March 19 after they interviewed four candidates. The board approved a three-year contract with Hilton on Monday.
"I am thrilled," Hilton said after the board meeting. "And I can't wait to get started working alongside of the board and staff and parents on behalf of kids."
"We are very excited with Mr. Hilton's selection," board President Tony Rebottaro said. "… We feel the way he runs a school is exactly in line with the philosophy of the board."
Current Superintendent Rick Hilderley announced in August that he would retire at the end of this school year. The board began its selection process in earnest in January.
Hilton has been the executive director of elementary education at Ann Arbor Public Schools since July 2021. In that role, he oversaw 20 elementary buildings and 7,000 students. He started his career in education in 2000 as a classroom teacher in Holland. He then was a kindergarten through third-grade literacy coach from 2003 to 2005, also in Holland, before he moved to Ann Arbor. He first was a reading specialist and Title I teacher there before moving into administration. He was assistant principal and principal at Mitchell Elementary in Ann Arbor from 2014 to 2021 when he moved to his current role.
He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hope College in psychology, with a math/science composite and a professional teaching certificate. He also has a Master of Arts degree in educational leadership and an administrative certificate from Michigan State University.
By starting on May 20, Hilton will have about three weeks to work alongside retiring Superintendent Rick Hilderley before his last day on June 7. Hilton said he plans to take a few days off from his current job to start shadowing Hilderley before his official start date.
Having that overlapping time before Hilderley leaves was a key part of the timeline the board set during the search process.
"We really felt like this year with the reconfiguration it was really important that he get a really good view of what's happening, spend all the time necessary to get the knowledge that he can from Mr. Hilderley and just get off on the right foot," Rebottaro said.
More: Work to implement Tecumseh schools reconfiguration underway
The board has voted to close two elementary schools, place Young 5's through third grade in the remaining elementary schools and move the fourth grade into the middle school, which already has fifth through eighth grades. Those changes will take effect at the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year.
Hilderley's contract runs through June 30, but he'll use up his remaining vacation time after June 7.
The district will pay Hilton $158,416 in the first full year of the contract, which starts July 1, 2024, with a prorated amount from May 20 to June 30 to wrap up the 2023-24 school year. The contract runs through the 2026-27 school year. The district will also contribute 1% of his compensation annually to a tax-deferred annuity plan. Hilton's pay may be adjusted after his annual performance evaluations.
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The salary plus the annuity adds up to the $160,000 total the board set at the start of the contract negotiations. The amount is comparable to what other similarly sized districts in the region pay their superintendents, based on information provided by the board's search consultant, Rodney Green of the Michigan Association of School Boards.
The board will pay the premiums for medical, dental, vision, long-term disability and life insurance policies for Hilton along with dues for membership in professional organizations.
Hilton and his family already live in the Tecumseh school district. During his second interview with the board, he said he and his wife were both from small towns and they decided to live in the Tecumseh area so that their kids could have that same experience.
— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Tecumseh school board approves contract with new superintendent
