By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
BUCHANAN - The Buchanan Community School system is in a year of transition.
The district will see its current superintendent David Casey retire at the end of the school year and principal of Paw Paw High School, Diana Davis, will take over July 1.
The change in administration is a major reason why both Marlene Gauer and John Colip are pursuing another term on Buchanan's board of education.
Gauer is running for another term as the board's vice president while Colip hopes to remain the board's president.
Colip said the board “went through quite a search” finding the right candidate to succeed Casey, starting with a pile of applications at the beginning of the year followed by two rounds of interviews.
Like most other school districts in the state, Buchanan is also preparing to adjust to the state's new graduation requirements. Gauer said the only curriculum changes would most likely be adding more language arts classes.
The experience of the school board will help the district with both transitions, said Colip, of 505 Middleton Court, Buchanan.
Gauer, of 12157 N. Redbud Trail, Buchanan, has served on the board for 16 years.
She said an experienced board is necessary to properly handle issues like less money from the state, decreasing enrollment and communicating the ethics and philosophies of Buchanan schools to an increasingly young staff.
Getting the most out of the funds the district receives from the state will also be a balancing act in the near future, Gauer added.
Voters will head to the polls for area school board elections Tuesday, May 2.