New super identifying district needs.

Tim Reeves

New super identifying district needs.

#ShelbyPublicSchools

By Allison Scarbrough, Editor.

SHELBY — Shelby Public Schools’ new superintendent, Tim Reeves, has been busily assessing the school district’s needs since he started the job less than two months ago.

The experienced educator most recently worked as the Hamilton High School principal before taking over leadership of Shelby schools. Reeves replaces Dan Bauer, who retired at the end of January. He was unanimously hired by the Shelby Board of Education.

With two failed attempts in 2016 and 2017 at passing a bond issue for much-needed building improvements, Reeves has been hard at work learning about the district’s building issues.

The high school is the newest building in the district, and it is over 20 years old, he said. Shelby’s enrollment is just under 1,300 students.

One of his goals is to “work with staff, the board and community members to develop a focused, strategic plan.”

Something may have been “missing” regarding what the district was asking for and the community’s willingness to give, he said of the failed bond attempts. “That needs to be figured out.”

“I’m assessing the needs of the district right now and figuring out the focus,” the school leader said. “I’m going on a listening tour at all levels, including students.”

He has identified his staff as a district strength. “We have a great group of staff members at all levels that care about the Shelby students,” he said.

An important need is focusing on graduates’ career paths, he said. “The traditional paths that graduates took have changed.”

Reeves was the Hamilton High School principal for the last nearly three years. He served as the Kellogsville Middle School principal for seven years and was the district’s elementary principal for one year and the middle school principal for two years.

He taught in the Kellogsville district for seven years and at Battle Creek Central High School for a year.

Reeves is a graduate of Hope College where he received an undergraduate degree in business and a teaching degree. His master’s degree is from Grand Valley State University in educational leadership.

The educator said when he first heard of the job opening, he was familiar with Shelby and Oceana County because he has spent the last 13 years in the area hunting and fishing with friends.

“When the job first opened up, I thought this is an opportunity to be in an area where I spend a lot of time. It’s an exciting opportunity.”

The superintendent said his main goal is creating a “focused plan for student teaching and learning to identify goals to work together, district-wide. This needs to be done in conjunction with a strategic plan.”

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