New superintendent isn’t new to Northern Michigan
March 25th, 2008, 7:25 pm Hobbies And Interests
Dan Bauer, the recently hired superintendent of Cheboygan Area Schools, the move to Cheboygan is a long-awaited return home.
As a native of Alpena, Mich., where he graduated from high school and where his father owned and managed Alpena Glass Co. Inc., Bauer has been trying to make his way back to Northern Michigan since first leaving more than 20 years ago.
Since leaving the Alpena area, Bauer has racked up a vast array of experience, including time as a U.S. Army officer, a school teacher and administrator, and a business owner and manager. He said he will draw on all of which when he takes charge of Cheboygan Area Schools on July 1.
“I have accumulated experience, even outside of school administration, and I think I will be able to draw on this,†he said.
Bauer earned a degree as a bachelor of arts in elementary education from Eastern Oregon University, a master of education degree from Western Washington University and completed his school administrator’s certification coursework at Central Washington University.
After completing his initial degree he worked from 1990 through 1995 teaching elementary and middle school grades three through eight in Washington State near Olympia.
Once he had completed five years of teaching in Washington, Bauer said he was ready for a move and decided to head home. From 1995-2001 Bauer was co-owner and manager of Alpena Glass Co. Inc., in Alpena.
His school administration career carried him as far away as Arizona’s Higley Unified School District in Gilbert, Ariz., and back to Michigan where he worked at Alpena Public Schools and Farwell Area Schools.
Bauer’s last stop at Saranac Community Schools is where he is currently serving as superintendent.
He and his wife, Gisela, and their three kids, Rebecca, Bella, and Jack, are now preparing for their big move north.
“We’re going to put our house on the market and I’m going to get everything in place here before I leave Saranac,†said Bauer. “I want to leave them in a good situation as Mr. Ellinger wants to make sure everything is in place up at Cheboygan.â€
As an avid outdoorsman Bauer said, he looks forward to living in Northern Michigan where he can take advantage of the many hobbies he forged as a child.
“I really love the outdoors; boating, fishing, just being outside. I love all of it,†he said. “I am really excited to have a boat again.â€
More than anything, Bauer said, he is excited to begin his work at Cheboygan Area Schools, where he plans to implement some of the programs that flourished in his time at Saranac.
“I think student achievement is a key area of focus and I’m excited to work with everyone at Cheboygan Area Schools because that has been a focal point for them for a long time,†said Bauer.
Tackling the financial challenges in the coming years will also be a focus for Bauer, who has experienced many of the same challenges at Saranac as have been faced by Cheboygan Area Schools.
“This is a tough time for schools financially, and I think as an administrator you have to be willing to explore every possible option before cutting a staff position or program,†he said. “Whether that means early buyouts or other reductions.â€
Sometimes though, making major cuts is the only option, as Bauer later explained.
“We have faced issues at Saranac and have been forced to cut some teachers and make program reductions,†he said. “Sometimes there just isn’t any other option.â€
Another area of focus for Bauer is technology.
“At Saranac we had a great Web site, which was really beneficial for the students,†he explained. “We had Michigan Merit Exam prep, scholarship information, student loan advice and many other things.â€
An informative, cutting-edge Web site is something Bauer said he would like to see implemented at Cheboygan Area Schools, but at the same time he understands the difficulty.
“The most difficult thing about a Web site is running it and keeping it updated,†he said.
Another potential technological improvement that Bauer has been recently exploring involves laptops and idle bus time.
“I have been thinking, if students need to be sitting on a bus for an hour and a half every day, how can we get a laptop in their hands that has Internet access,†he explained. “I’ve looked into that a little bit, but I really think that could be beneficial for students at Cheboygan Area Schools.â€
Bauer will also be on the same learning curve as others on the Cheboygan Area Schools staff, seeing that Saranac also implemented the trimester system in September.
Thus far the system has worked well, Bauer said of trimesters. Although there are some scheduling issues, it works out well for the most part.
Whatever the challenge, Bauer says he brings with him a litany of experience and a host of progressive ideas he can call on while navigating issues of any sort, which are sure to arise in the future.
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