Pending contract negotiations, Dr. Rachel Kowalski will be the next Superintendent of Saline Area Schools. Over the past week or so, I’ve spent time listening to all of the candidate interviews in person and providing my feedback to the School Board members. Why? Glad you asked. Ever since I arrived here in Saline, I’ve dedicated part of my time to getting to know this community and becoming connected in the community. Early in my career, pastors were still invited to be involved in their communities, but in the last 25 years, a lot of things have changed. The universal church had already lost credibility, and that drop has accelerated. Pastors/Clergy are no longer extended trust due to their role. The greater community doesn’t see churches as relevant because they are often insular and self-focused. We have earned this reputation as the universal church, and we must own that. So for me, earning trust and helping the community see that we care about the well-being of all people is of prime importance, and it’s easiest to do in a community like Saline, where there is a defined downtown, school district, and city government. It’s my job to be thoughtful and intentional about where I invest my time for maximum impact. I serve on the city’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee because it matters to me and it is the foundation of who we are as a church, for example. I see the choice of a new School Superintendent as a pivotal decision for this community. The school district is a large and influential part of Saline, and the Superintendent sets the tone for the relationship the school district has with the community. The issues we are seeing in the schools will only have a chance to be properly addressed with the right person coming into this position. So I decided to invest some of my work time and some of my personal time in being present for this process. I invited you to join me, and while no one sat with me for all interviews in person, I am hopeful that some of you did online. I also spoke to the Board the first night, signed all my feedback forms so they knew my comments, and remained a consistent presence on your behalf. I hope that I’ll inspire more of you to be authentic representatives of our church, its beliefs, and its love and support of everyone. Enough about why I went. Let’s talk about our next Superintendent and why she’s the right choice. Dr. Kowalski is an excellent choice for our future in Saline Area Schools, for a variety of reasons. She is a visionary leader who works collaboratively and demonstrates that record by her language and her stories. Her reference checks also backed it up. She has vast experience with curriculum development for student success and a deep concern for those who might be left behind, like English Language Learners and Special Education students. She connects with people well and reads the room, and I appreciated last night that she made the effort to connect with those of us who were in the room with her. She spoke as a member of a team, always giving the people around her credit for their contributions of overall success. She has a track record of changing school culture, and we need that, for more reasons than just the excessive bullying in our schools. Dr. Kowalski doesn’t have all the answers, and she’s committed to asking questions, building partnerships, and bridging gaps. She created an excellent plan for her first days as Superintendent, which you can look up at www.tinyurl.com/Saline-Kowalski-Plan. Her presentation to the Board last night on how she would work on teacher retention, recruitment, and reigniting passion was spot on, in my opinion. She demonstrated last night a willingness to face and discuss the challenges faced in our local schools and to partner with the Board to work on them. I hope we’ll make a point as a church of welcoming Dr. Kowalski when she arrives to start work in July. The next key position in our city is the next City Manager. I’ll be watching that carefully too, especially because I think our Acting City Manager is doing a great job of building community relationships and bringing reconciliation among us. We have an inside candidate for this position who is showing her strength, whereas we didn’t have an inside candidate for Superintendent. These are important places where we can make our voices heard and influence our local community in strong and positive ways, while showing our commitment to loving and supporting all people. This kind of presence makes a difference, so let’s do it together! In Christ, Pastor Kimberly