GWINN — You can’t say retiring Gwinn Area Community Schools Superintendent Sandy Petrovich came on board without a few obstacles.

She took over the superintendent role from Tom Jayne in late 2017. Petrovich had a seemingly overwhelming task in front of her, with the district facing a budget deficit of over $400,000 at one point. Under her helm, the district became financially stable.

Voters also approved a sinking fund millage for the school district in March 2020 after the request previously failed twice.

“It’s been a good run,” Petrovich said.

It’s been a fulfilling mission for Petrovich, but one that’s coming to an end.

Or is it?

“I don’t know that I’ll ever be done in education,” said Petrovich, who started her career as a music teacher and has put in 42 years in the education system, having always wanted to be a principal.

Petrovich has been GACS superintendent for 3¢ years, but has worked for 22 years in the school district, having been principal of Gwinn Middle/High School as well as Gilbert and Sawyer elementary schools, and special programs administrator in charge of federal and state grants.

“I really enjoyed my career in the Gwinn schools,” Petrovich said. “Gwinn has felt like home.”

Although Petrovich lives in Harvey, she “bleeds black and gold,” she noted. “I’ve really appreciated the opportunity to be the superintendent because I’ve always wanted to be a superintendent as well,” she said. “Just the challenges of the superintendency certainly have been many in our district, but it feels good to put puzzles together, to put things back together, to get policies and procedures put back in place or establish new policies and procedures, and that’s just the kind of work that I enjoy doing.

“It fits the creative side of me. It fits the detailed, organized side of the coin, and it fits the creative side of the coin.”

Of course, issues remain.

Although every school district has had some positive impact from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, Petrovich said GACS can’t rely on ESSER money for long-term legacy costs. However, she pointed out that the money can be used for things like heating, ventilation and air conditioning beyond what the sinking fund could handle.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary & Secondary Education, Congress set aside approximately $13.2 billion of the $30.75 billion allotted to the Education Stabilization Fund through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act for the ESSER Fund. The emergency relief funds were to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the United States.

“So, it’s nice to be able to provide for employees with wage increases and salary increases because our general fund is now stable,” Petrovich said.

Although Petrovich was at the helm when the positive changes took place, she credited her “team” — especially Amy Finkbeiner, the district’s business manager — with helping those changes become a reality.

“It’s been a good team effort in that sense, her and I,” Petrovich said. “The buck does stop with the superintendent, but when you have good people working with you, it makes it, one, more pleasurable, more fun, but it makes it more doable because everybody is of like mind and everybody is headed in the same direction of trying to establish and grow that fund balance while still making sure that our district is a place that people want to work because of the wages or salaries or benefits that we offer.”

Another positive change is that Gilbert and Sawyer elementary schools each will have its own principal, with Marci Paulsen having filled the role at both buildings for five years, Petrovich said. Paulsen will be principal at Gilbert while Griffin Lawson will be in charge at Sawyer.

Having a leader in both buildings, she noted, will help the district.

“What this provides for us is the capacity to create,” Petrovich said. “It allows us to have a little bit of time to say, ‘Hey, what could we do better for our kids?’ And so, that capacity to create and think and grow the district — that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Building on a foundation also is important to her.

“All the bricks are back in place, so now, what can the team now carry on with and what can they grow from that foundation?” Petrovich asked.

Petrovich said her husband, Dave, is retired from the National Weather Service, so retirement probably will afford them more time together.

“Ready to go camping,” she said.

Succeeding Petrovich will be Brandon Bruce, current principal at downstate Hart High School, who the board chose for the position in the spring. The last day of Petrovich’s tenure as superintendent was Thursday, but she plans to stay on through this month to help Bruce settle in.

That willingness to help probably is typical.

Board secretary Ashley Jenema had kind words about Petrovich during a board of education meeting in January in which her retirement was discussed.

“Sandy, you came on when our district was in dire, dire need of a really solid leader with a long view,” Jenema said. “You took on a giant, and you helped lead us through and turn a dire situation around, and I’ve felt very honored and blessed to have you as our ‘fearless’ district superintendent for this short time, and you are going to be terribly missed.

“Thank you so much for everything you’ve done.”

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net