Incoming Bay Schools superintendent honored by Ohio peers

Incoming Bay Village Schools Superintendent Jodie Hausmann was presented an award as a woman in school leadership by her Ohio peers.

Jodie Hausmann, who will join the Bay Village City School District as its new superintendent in August, has been awarded the Betsy M. Cowles Leadership Award by the Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA).

The award annually recognizes a woman in school administration who has demonstrated outstanding education leadership by making significant contributions to educational administration in a school district, education service center or educational institution. Hausmann currently serves as superintendent for the Perkins Local Schools in Sandusky.

Bay Village Board of Education members Beth Lally and Lisa Priemer attended the presentation made at the BASA Women’s Conference in Columbus on March 14.

"This honor by her peers recognizes exactly what we saw in Jodie during our superintendent search,” said Lally. “She demonstrates an unwavering commitment to providing children with all they need for the best education possible."

Priemer said the award is really quite an honor, and that Bay Village is lucky to have Hausmann joining the school district. "It's nice to see our choice of Jodie as our new superintendent affirmed this way,” she said. “Her leadership will be exactly what we need to move our district forward as we face multiple challenges ahead."

Hausmann noted that she was humbled to receive the award “named for a woman recognized as a disruptive innovator, a true educational visionary and a human rights activist.” Betsy M. Cowles was one of the earliest and most notable female superintendents in Ohio, according to BASA.

“What I respect most about Betsy was her unwavering moral compass, which was obvious in her commitment to social justice, and especially her dedication to establishing and protecting the rights of women and people of color,” Hausmann said. “Her devotion to those causes, as well as her commitment to infant schools – which were the precursor to kindergarten – inspired me early in my career and brought me focus as my path developed from a teacher, to a principal, to an administrator, and now today, as a superintendent.”

Hausmann is currently visiting the Bay Village City Schools a day or two each month, spending time with retiring Superintendent Clint Keener, to help with her transition to taking the reins at the district Aug. 1.