The Munster School Board has appointed Matthew Hicks, superintendent of a northeastern Indiana rural district of about 1,300 students, as its next school chief.
The board appointed Hicks during a special meeting Monday, awarding him a $215,000 three-year contract.
Also on Monday, the board named award-winning teacher Jennifer Herold as the principal at Elliott Elementary School.
More Top Picks Best Electric Scooters For Kids
If Hicks receives an “effective” or “highly effective” rating on performance evaluation, he will receive at least the same raise as other administrators.
Hicks succeeds Bret Heller, who left the district in June after three years to take a superintendent’s job at the Thompson School District in Loveland, Colorado. Heller came from a district in Idaho.
Hicks has been superintendent at the Northeastern Wayne School Corp., about six miles north of Richmond, since 2020.
It’s located in an agricultural area that includes five small communities.
Munster is one of the wealthiest and highest-achieving districts in Northwest Indiana.
Hicks brings 26 years of education experience to his new post. He’s spent 10 years in the classroom and more than 10 years as an administrator.
A native of Tippecanoe County, Hicks earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary English from Purdue University, a master’s degree in education from Indiana Wesleyan University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Ball State University.
“The nice part about coming to such a great place is that I will get to take time to learn it and understand the things that make it great,” Hicks said in a statement.
“I look forward to being here and working with our team to continue the great traditions and success that the School Town of Munster has established.”
Hicks begins his new job next week and the district is providing up to $15,000 in moving expenses for his family, which includes his wife Terra and three children.
During his tenure, Hicks focused on academic achievement, enhanced community engagement, and improved operational effectiveness.
“Throughout the search process and interviews, he clearly demonstrated the experience, leadership, and vision we were seeking to move Munster’s schools forward,” said board president Kyle Dempsey.
In 2018, when Hicks was an assistant principal at Noblesville West Middle School, a student shot and injured a student and a teacher.
Hicks is active in the Principal Recovery Network, an organization dedicated to supporting educators involved in school shootings and advocating for mental health resources for students.
Herold, a 1997 Munster High School graduate, brings 23 years of teaching experience to her new role. Most recently, she taught fourth grade at James B. Eads Elementary and co-founded the Eads Leads Student Leadership Team. She also taught at St. Thomas More Catholic School.
“I look forward to building strong partnerships with the entire Elliott community as we focus on the mission of the School Town of Munster — to create lifelong learners…” Herold said in a release.
Herold received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s in educational leadership from Indiana University-Bloomington.
She was a 2023 top 25 nominee for Indiana Teacher of the Year. Last year, she was named the VFW Elementary Teacher of the Year and the Crossroads Chamber of Commerce Inspiring Educator.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.