By CASSANDRA SHOFAR

Staff Writer

MEDINA — Filling a two-year vacancy, Richard Forney is stepping in as Medina City School District’s new assistant superintendent.

Not only will Forney — former director of administrative services for the Cuyahoga Heights School District — focus on overseeing building operations and developing high school programming with the high school administrative team, but he will help fill the void created by Principal Susan Huth, who is leaving to serve as principal of Tusky Valley High School, the district reported.

Huth’s position will not be filled for the 2008-09 school year because the district is assessing staffing and programming at the high school, the release said.

“We have spent the last two years kind of reorganizing the administrative structure in the school district,” Superintendent Randy Stepp said Wednesday. “(Forney) will essentially be in charge of secondary operations at the high school and middle schools. He’s going to be instrumental in looking at the high school structure and the middle schools’ structure, making sure we have the best system of operation in place.”

He added: “He’s got a pretty extensive background. He’s a great guy and a former Medina resident, lived here 15 years.”

Forney, who lives with his wife, Karla, and daughter, Michelle, 19, in LaGrange, said he hopes to “be a part of the administrative team in Medina and continue the excellence of the district.

“One of my first goals will be to focus on the high school and to work with the house principals on leadership,” he said.

In a statement, Forney said: “I look forward to contributing to the established educational excellence of the Medina City School District. Being able to work collaboratively with our administrators, teachers, students, and parents is an exciting opportunity and will provide me with the chance to assist in the continued development of the outstanding programs already in place throughout the district.”

Prior to being director, Forney served as principal of Independence High School from 2001-06, principal of Olmsted Falls Middle School, principal of McCormick Middle School in Wellington, and assistant principal of Buckeye High School, the district reported.

His duties will include “the formation and management of a district leadership academy, overseeing district policy and administrative guidelines, and assisting the superintendent with community planning and professional development,” the statement said.

Other school district administrative changes include:

o Craig Komar, former principal of Heritage Elementary School, will be the new principal of Claggett Middle School. He is replacing Jo Maurer, who retired. Komar served as the associate principal at A.I. Root Middle School and taught for six years at Claggett.

o Shannon Federinko will be associate principal of Claggett, replacing Sean Wolanin, who accepted a position as principal of Roberts Middle School in Cuyahoga Falls. Federinko taught at the middle-school level for 12 years and served as an administrative intern this past school year at Garfield Elementary School, helping with daily programming and operations.

o Julie Burke, who has served as the Kindergarten Center principal for eight years, will fill Komar’s previous position as principal of Heritage Elementary.

o Dave Knight, principal of Sidney Fenn Elementary School, will oversee the Kindergarten Center and Helping Hands Preschool.

In anticipation of new elementary schools opening in the fall of 2009 when all kindergarten students will attend an elementary school, the district chose to combine these two positions, the district reported.

The Kindergarten Center has been a satellite for kindergarten students when their elementary schools were overcrowded.

Shofar may be reached at 330-721-4044 or cshofar@ohio.net.