Superintendent Rau resigns from MLSD

By Ashley McCarty

People’s Defender

Manchester School District Superintendent Brian Rau has announced his resignation after five years.

Rau has lived in Brown county for the majority of his life. He grew up outside of Russellville, Ohio, and graduated from Eastern Brown. In 2011, he and his family moved outside of Maysville, Kentucky.

“I liked math going through school, and it led to an education degree. I really wanted to teach junior high math,” he said. Rau attended Morehead State University and graduated in 1992.

“I taught math at Fayetteville Middle School before going into the military. I joined the Navy in 1995. I returned to education in 2002 and taught high school geometry in Ripley for a year. That brought back my education bug. I was hired full-time at Ripley in 2006. In the summer of 2010, Mr. Robert Ralstin and Mr. William Nichols, along with the Manchester Board of Education, afforded me the opportunity to become part of the Greyhound Family as the elementary assistant principal. I was excited for a new opportunity that would not only further my career but also provide me the opportunity to collaborate with different individuals and learn new skills. Mr. Ralstin promoted me to elementary principal effective the 2011-2012 school year,” said Rau.

In 2017, the Manchester Board of Education promoted Rau as the superintendent of MLSD.

“I wanted to become a superintendent for a few reasons. A lot of it had to do with being able to affect change at a higher level. As a teacher, I was able to affect the lives of students in my class, as a principal, I was able to affect the lives of children in the building, as superintendent, I could affect lives at the district level. The other thing for me, intrinsically, is that I’m not satisfied unless I have reached the top. I’ve always been that way. All of us that strive to do our best and be our best strive to reach the top. One of my goals as an educator was to eventually be a superintendent. I’ve always had those aspirations,”

Alongside that goal, he wanted to reach even further and obtain his superintendent licensure with a doctorate. He accomplished that in 2019.

“God puts people where he wants to put them, in certain places and certain times. In 2017, we lost two coal power plants. I don’t know anyone that would have moved from another location to accept this position knowing that we were going to lose the amount of revenue that we did. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew there were decisions we were going to have to make that would not be favorable in the community or with staff. I know we were going to have a loss of enrollment; we had families uprooted due to the power plants. Some stayed, but many did not. I knew it was not going to be easy, but I also knew that I had a job to do, and I was willing to embrace that challenge to ensure that Manchester remained a district,” said Rau.

While he is resigning due to further aspirations in education, he admits that he has always tried to leave a position better than when he received it. This personal philosophy is substantiated by the accomplishments of his 12-year tenure.

As assistant principal for MES/Special Education Coordinator:

— Studied and familiarized himself with special education law and special education standard operating procedures.

— Streamlined the special education process by establishing new procedures.

— Established a reporting and filing process to maintain special education records with increased fidelity.

— Achieved 100 percent compliance on all special education profiles.

— Built relationships with all students in the building, knowing nearly every student by their name.

— Built relationships with families, many of which are sustained today.

As principal of MES:

— Established an effective and successful student recognition program.

— Established the Building Leadership Team in accordance with the Ohio Improvement Process.

— Assisted in establishing the initial school-based health center at MLSD.

— Continued building relationships with our families, many of which are sustained today.

As MLSD superintendent:

— Decreased district expenditures by $3.5 million over a four-year period.

— Led discussions with local, state and national legislators to procure $2.5 million in additional revenue.

— MLSD is on track to have a negative balance (red) in two years (2024). Due to his hard work, difficult decisions, and the hard work of others, the current 5-Year Forecast is solid with a potential carryover of over $6 million.

— MES is currently identified as Independent based on Ohio Department of Education’s Accountability System, despite a considerable loss of revenue.

— MHS is currently identified as Independent based on Ohio Department of Education’s accountability system, which never occurred prior to his tenure as Superintendent, despite a considerable loss of revenue.

— Currently serve as the instructional leader and facilitator of our District Leadership Team (DLT), having no previous superintendent led the DLT.

— MLSD (PreK-12) is fully staffed, with appropriate licenses in all fields in which each teaches, including high school mathematics and sciences.

— Many of the staff that he has hired serve in other district capacities via various supplemental contracts.

— In two/three years, MLSD is on pace to offer several College Credit Plus courses at MHS, including the possibility of the first year of nursing school.

— Increased reading interventions in first and second grade.

— Increased English Language Arts instruction in Manchester Junior High.

— Financial Literacy course being taught by teacher with economic background.

— Roof replacement is costing the district $0 out of the general fund.

— Increased safety measures throughout the district.

— District is compliant with all measures of accountability in accordance with state and federal statutes.

“I take great pride in knowing the role I played in taking Manchester Local School District to the next level. We’ve done all of this with a very limited budget, and I’m very proud of it. I’m blessed that the board provided me with this opportunity to help grow Manchester,” said Rau. The effective date of his resignation is July 31, 2022.

“I will miss the students and families. We have a great staff. I would put the teachers up against anyone. The relationships I’ve been able to build over the past 12 years will carry forward. I have a lot of respect for the people here and the district. I’ll always remember the great things the people have done here in Manchester. These are phenomenal people, including all of the external agencies I’ve worked with,” said Rau.

According to Rau, one of the best parts about being a superintendent was the satisfaction of seeing implementations affect the instructional quality of the classroom.

“Handing kids their diplomas when they graduate is an amazing feeling. Having graduates come back and tell us their success stories in college, what they’re doing, where they’re working — it’s so rewarding. It has many joys. Any superintendent will tell you this is a stressful job, and it wears on you after a while if you let it, but there are so many things to be proud of. We’ve had a great run here, and Manchester is not over — it’s just going to the next chapter. I wish my successor the absolute best. I think the world of Manchester schools,” said Rau.

Rau intends to continue pursuing positions in education, but ultimately, “it is where God leads him.”

“How do you culminate 12 years into a single farewell? Manchester has afforded my family and me many things as far as my career, personal growth and professional knowledge. I have nothing but appreciation for the Board of Manchester for providing me the opportunity in 2010 to become part of the Greyhound family. Manchester has been my professional home for the majority of my career. It’s pretty humbling to know you’ve been welcomed by the majority of the community, and the job that they have entrusted in me to serve their children. That I’ll miss. I’m hoping with everything that I’ve been able to do in the last five years will lay the groundwork for even better things to come,” said Rau.