Statement from Vandalia School Board President Chris Palmer:
While Mr. Well’s resignation/retirement was a surprise to everyone, those that know him and his work ethic know that his decision was not made in haste. Rich conveyed to me after he announced his resignation that he felt he couldn’t give it “his all” any longer, and he is the type of guy that, if he can’t give you 110%, he’ll step aside. There comes a point in a person’s life when you know that it’s time, and I believe he woke up one day and made his decision. He also said that his sudden announcement was made the way it was because he knew that, if he would have done it any other way, someone in that board room would have talked him into staying, and he knew his health wouldn’t allow that.
Rich has put our district, our staff, and most importantly our students first in his life for a very long time. His retirement, while earlier than anticipated, has occurred at a time when the daily district maintenance is pretty much on “auto-pilot”.
The BOE is currently in the process of hiring a new superintendent and hope to have a selection by the end of January 2018. With Mr. Casey stepping forward to lead the team until our new superintendent can take over, our district should continue to operate smoothly and efficiently.
Chris Palmer
Pres, Vandalia CUSD #203 BOE