Raising funds, deciding whether to bus students and boosting test scores are some of the challenges Mike Sander will tackle as the new superintendent of the Erlanger-Elsmere Independent School District.

        Mr. Sander, principal at Boone County High School, will replace Jim Molley July 1, overseeing a $12 million annual budget for the district located in Kenton County. The 2,200-student district has six elementary, middle and high schools. Mr. Sander was principal at Lloyd High School from 1995-98.

        “There are some challenges down the road, and right now I guess the major one is funding,” said Mr. Molley, 61, who is retiring as superintendent in June after 30 years with the district. “I think Mr. Sander is up to the task.”

        The school board is expected to officially hire Mr. Sander April 11, when it will set his salary between $80,000 and $90,000. The average salary for Kentucky's 176 superintendents is $84,894, with salaries ranging between $40,000 and $167,000.

        “He'll bring his youth (Mr. Sander is under 40) and he'll bring a lot of energy,” Mr. Molley said. “He is very innovative, forward-thinking and an exceptional listener with his staff.”

        The selection committee reviewed 21 applications from Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee, before narrowing the field to six and eventually deciding on Mr. Sander, who lives in Florence. He was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

        Mr. Sander began his teaching career at his alma mater, Boone County High School, teaching mathematics, and eventually became the school's assistant principal. He was hired away to become the principal at Lloyd High School, but later returned to Boone County High School as principal. He is a graduate of Thomas More College.

        Boone County High improved each year between 1999-2001 on the statewide achievement tests.

        Shawn Carroll, a member of the Boone County Board of Education, said Mr. Sander's departure is a “a loss to our system, but it's a great opportunity for Mike.”

        “To be the head of a smaller school district in Kentucky at his age , is a credit to Mike,” Mr. Carroll said. “It's a loss to the Boone County community because Mike and his wife are very involved in our schools with their children.”

        Boone County High School's Site-Based Decision Making Council will review applications and make a recommendation to the board for the new principal.

        “We certainly want to have somebody by this summer,” Mr. Carroll said.

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