Following the completion of first round interviews this week, the South-Western City School District (SWCSD) Board of Education has named Mr. Randy Banks (Assistant Superintendent of Worthington City Schools) and Dr. Jamie Lusher (current SWCSD Deputy Superintendent) as finalists for the district’s open superintendent position. Second round interviews will take place next week on June 3 and June 4 and will be structured with several opportunities for formal meet and greets with administrators, staff, and the community each day.
About the Finalists
Mr. Randy Banks - Assistant Superintendent, Worthington City Schools
Mr. Randy Banks has served as an Assistant Superintendent at Worthington City Schools since 2015. Prior to that, he served as Director of Human Resources for Worthington City Schools and the personnel director for certificated staff at South-Western City Schools. Earlier on in his career at South-Western City Schools, Mr. Banks also served as the principal of both Brookpark Middle School (now Beulah Park Middle School) and Finland Middle School. Mr. Banks holds a M.A. in Educational Leadership from The Ohio State University.
Dr. Jamie Lusher - Deputy Superintendent, South-Western City Schools
Dr. Jamie Lusher is currently serving in the capacity of Deputy Superintendent of South-Western City Schools, having been in that role since 2021. She originally came to SWCSD from Grandview Heights where she held the same position for seven years. Prior to that, Dr. Lusher served as the Academic Achievement Coordinator and principal (Wilson Hill Elementary School) in the Worthington School District, and principal at New Albany Middle School. Dr. Lusher holds a Ph. D. from Ohio University and currently is a lecturer at The Ohio State University’s Fisher School of Business and Human Ecology.
District to hold Community “Meet and Greet” forums with each candidate June 3 and June 4
Prior to formal interviews with the board, members of the community are invited to attend two Community “Meet and Greet” forums (one with each candidate) at the South-Western Career Academy’s Event Center (located at 4750 Big Run South Rd, Grove City, OH 43123) from 4-5 p.m. on Monday, June 3 and Tuesday, June 4.
The intent of these sessions is to put a name and a face to each finalist for our parents and community members in an open forum. In those sessions, candidates will provide their background and describe their interest in serving our students, families, and community followed by a moderated question and answer session with search firm K-12 Business Consulting. The community “Meet and Greet” with Dr. Jamie Lusher will be held on Monday, June 3 at 4 p.m. while the community “Meet and Greet” with Mr. Randy Banks will be held on Tuesday, June 4 at 4 p.m.
Prior to each community “Meet and Greet” forum, staff will receive an invitation for a similar question and answer session for next Monday, June 3 (Dr. Jamie Lusher) and Tuesday, June 4 (Mr. Randy Banks). Each staff session will be held from 2:45-3:45 p.m. in the Central Crossing High School auditorium.
Once more, the South-Western City School District Board of Education would like to thank all interviewees for their time, interest, and preparation in sharing their vision for the district during first round interviews. Over the course of the past eleven weeks, the board has worked tirelessly to canvas the profession for experienced leaders in their search for the district’s next superintendent and were incredibly thankful to get to know each candidate through the initial interview process.
Looking ahead to the week of June 3, it is anticipated that the Board of Education will make a final decision for their prospective hire on Saturday, June 8 at the South-Western Career Academy’s (SWCA) new Event Center due to ongoing construction at the District Service Center.