Thursday, December 16, 1999
Hamilton school head honored as best in Ohio
Urban district has rewards and challenges
BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer Contributor
HAMILTON — Superintendent Janet Baker has seen a lot of firsts in her nearly 30-year tenure with the Hamilton City Schools.
She became the district's first female principal of a junior or senior high school when she came to George Washington Junior High in 1977. Mrs. Baker became Hamilton's — and Butler County's — first female superintendent seven years ago.
And today Mrs. Baker becomes the district's first leader to be honored as Ohio Superintendent of the Year for 2000. She will receive her award in Columbus during the executive committee meeting of the Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA), the local affiliate of the American Association of School Administrators.
It is an honor that Mrs. Baker accepts on behalf of those she works with and for: teachers, administrators, parents, staff, students and the community.
“I didn't earn this award, we all did. The employees, the volunteers, the parents all deserve to share it. It's been really, really great for our district. When you're in an urban district, you often take a back seat to other districts,” said Mrs. Baker, 52, a lifelong Hamilton resident who graduated from Taft High School in 1965. “It becomes a source of pride for our community.”
In an era when the average stay of a superintendent is 2.5 years, Mrs. Baker says she has no plans to leave the only school district she has ever attended, taught in or administered.
“I'm where I want to be,” Mrs. Baker said. “It's home. It's not just a job. It's a passion and a caring. Everyone's goal is to leave a place you've been a better place. Nothing would please me more than knowing I made a difference.”
Working in an urban setting with a diverse, declining enrollment has its challenges, Mrs. Baker said. With only 47 percent of Hamilton's graduates continuing their education after high school the district must offer both advanced placement courses for those college-bound, but also vocational for those headed to the work world.
“There are tremendous challenges in an urban district. The work is never over,” Mrs. Baker said. “As education changes, we have to take our changing demographics and take the district where it needs to go in the future.”
About 45 percent of the district's nearly 9,500 pupils qualify for free or reduced meals. The newest school is 40 years old, the oldest 100. Enrollment has dropped by about 500 students in the last five years. Voters have approved only three operating levies in the past five decades.
Yet under Mrs. Baker's leadership the district in May passed a $45 million bond issue — the first in 43 years. It will be the first major upgrade of buildings since four schools, built with the 1956 bond issue, opened in 1959. Last year the district was able to bring in nearly $5 million through grants. The Class of '99 was awarded 333 scholarships or honors and had members accepted at 124 colleges or universities.
“Janet Baker is an outstanding example of the superintendents in Ohio,” said Rod Rice, executive director of BASA. “She collaborates with various stakeholders — business leaders, individuals and parents. She tries to involve the entire community.”
“She has a lot of vision, which enables her to lead,” said Don Patterson, president of Home Federal Bank, who led the district's Business Advisory Council for two years. “It's reflected in the judgments she makes.”
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