By By ERIN VER BERKMOES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Brandywine Middle/High School has a new leader.
At a special meeting for the Brandywine Community Schools Board of Education on Monday night, Superintendent Gary Rider introduced Greg Jones as his candidate for the middle/high school principal position.
Jones was hired by the board and he starts his new job today.
Jones' salary for the remainder of the 2005 -2006 school-year will be prorated and based on an annual amount of $77,529.
Jones comes to Brandywine from the Belleview school district - a district of about 800 students - where he was superintendent for five years. Prior to that position Jones was a high school assistant principal for two years and a middle school principal for five years.
Jones said he is also excited about coming back to this area of the state because his family is originally from the Watervliet and South Haven area.
At this time, Jones said he hasn't set goals for the new position. He said he will be better able to set goals in weeks to come, after getting to know the building and the district better.
Jones said his highest priority for the building is the education of the students.
He said the wide variety of curriculum offered to the students at the middle/high school is one thing that drew him to the Brandywine district.
Jones was drawn to the field of education at a young age. When he was younger he taught children swimming lessons and often coached sports teams.
Jones was selected as the top candidate from a pool of more than 40 applicants after two rounds of interviews with students, staff, parents and administrators, and a site visit.
Jones is married to Terry and has two school-aged children, Breana, 8, and Trevor, 9. He has two grown children Amanda, 20, and Andrew, 18.
The family anticipates relocating to the Brandywine area soon, he said.