Jason Niedermeyer tapped as new Brunswick superintendent

BRUNSWICK — Brunswick did not have far to look to find the district's new superintendent. After receiving 27 applicants, interviewing eight candidates and narrowing it down to two finalist, the board announced Saturday that Jason Niedermeyer, the district's assistant superintendent, has been named the new superintendent, replacing the retiring Mike Mayell. "Boards of education are citizens that are elected for this job, but it doesn't happen very often," Board President Rich Nowak said. "We took it very seriously, worked countless hours to get to this point and ended up with two very extremely qualified candidates. The tough decision is picking one. We think we did make a great choice, we're proud of our choice and we unanimously agreed that Jason would be the guy to lead our district." The board was down to Niedermeyer and Dennis Haft, Clyde-Green Springs Local Schools superintendent. Niedermeyer has served as assistant superintendent for the last two years and said taking over for Mayell, who announced in March he will retire at the end of his contract in July, is a humbling experience. "It was an interesting process and I was really, really excited when I got the news," Niedermeyer said. "I'm humbled by the faith the board has in me. I think they recognize that I've worked really hard for the past two years to gain their confidence in my abilities. I'm going to work as hard as I can to continue to exceed their expectations." Nowak said Niedermeyer's experience and familiarity with the district, the work he's done in fighting for the passage of the levy and guiding the district through the pandemic played a big role in his hiring. "This has been a really tough year for education but he's helped lead our district through the COVID era, he helped us open the middle school and he was very instrumental in the passage of our levy," he said. " He also played a critical role in getting our entire staff vaccinated. He was very good with a lot of things, handled them well and efficiently and we were very impressed by his style. "It's a new day in Brunswick. We're hoping that Jason comes with his new leadership style and we're hoping COVID is behind us. Our middle school is almost completed and the future looks bright." Stepping into this new role, Niedermeyer said he hopes to continue developing relationships with those within the district and hopes to put an emphasis on communication. "I think I'll be able to hit the ground running because I've been working for two years to develop strong relationships and this idea of trust and transparency," Niedermeyer said. "I'm excited to create partnerships with our parents and our community members. "I'm looking forward to the future. I think the fact that our levy passed, it feels like the light at the end of the COVID tunnel is in sight. We have an unbelievable future ahead of us and I'm excited to be leading that charge." Contact reporter Jack Kopanski at (330) 721-4063 or jkopanski@medina-gazette.com.