Fritz getting acclimated to leading Oregon City Schools

        Dr. Jim Fritz had a job he found challenging and rewarding at Anthony Wayne Local Schools, but he wanted a new challenge.
        The Oregon City Schools superintendent, who started the job in September, took over after Hal Gregory became the assistant superintendent of programs and personnel for North Point Educational Service Center in Sandusky.
        Fritz, who has a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, a master’s in secondary education and a doctorate in education administration from The University of Toledo, talked about what drew him to the position in Oregon.
        “After 21 years of working as an administrator in the Anthony Wayne School District, I applied for the superintendent position at OCS,” he said. “When the OCS superintendent position was posted, I had a number of people reach out to me sharing that I would be a good fit in the district. After meeting with the board (of education) during the interview process, I found that we shared similar goals for the future.
        “I believe the pride and value of tradition in the district is one of the great elements (here). In addition, the students, staff, and parents here at OCS are incredible.”
        At the end of this school year, the school district will have 10 teachers and 10 administrative employees retire.
        “The district is currently in a state of change from a personnel perspective. There are a number of current employees who will be retiring from the district in the next several years,” said Fritz. “We've seen this already take place with the director of special education, assistant principal, and principal position at Eisenhower Intermediate School. In addition, we currently have a number of teaching openings for the 2025-26 school year from retirements within the district.”
        Fritz was also a professor of educational administration at Bowling Green State University off and on for the last 17 years, taught science at Springfield High School, and worked as a coordinator and academic advisor in the College of Education at UT.
        It’s all led to this point in his career, he said.
        “I believe we are all educators here at OCS. We all have an influence on the daily experiences of our students and parents. We strive to provide outstanding educational opportunities while providing a safe and secure environment for students to learn,” Fritz said. “In all of my roles over my 30-plus years in education, my goal has always been to do what is best for our students. I feel my experiences along the way allow me to have a variety of reference points to do this work.”
        “The district staff and administration continue to work to adapt to an ever-changing educational environment. As we adapt, we continue to look for the best academic and personal growth opportunities to provide to our students to allow them to be ready for their futures upon graduation,” said Fritz. “In doing so, we continue to monitor our resources that allow us to provide these opportunities to students and service to the community.
        “There are a number of legislative and financial challenges we will face in the future, but we continue to work to adapt to these challenges and do what is best for students within the constraints put on the district by these challenges,” he said.