Life for Superintendent Dr. Kim Miller is constantly moving, jumping around from public appearances, meetings, and everything in between. On March 5th, I shadowed Dr. Miller for a day and got a first-hand look at her typical daily schedule.
Dr. Miller started off as an educator before moving up to superintendent.
“I graduated from WVU with an undergraduate…multi-subject K through 8 degree,” said Miller. “I got a specialization in early childhood and pre-K… I did my student teaching here in Wheeling and ended up coaching cheerleading for ten years and started in a classroom as a classroom teacher, and then kind of just went up and got my administrative degree,” said Miller.
Dr. Miller has a full team working with her, including Mr. Rick Jones, Mr. Steven Bieniek, Mr. David Crumm, Mrs. Susan Fox-Nolte, and Mrs. Karin Butyn, just to name a few seen day-to-day and Dr. Miller attributes much of her success to the team she’s surrounded by.
My day with her started with a meeting at 8:15 a.m. discussing the importance of the excess levy to Ohio County Schools. It was also used to discuss budgeting should the county lose the levy, and what important programs rely on the levy.
Miller also went to Warwood for Read Across America week at 9:30 a.m.
She excitedly read children a book titled Ricky the Rock Who Couldn’t Roll to teach them about the importance of friendship and working together. She then handed out rocks to each of the children to help them better connect with the story and be able to carry it with them. Dr. Miller took the time to ask questions and engage with each smiling face in the class.
After Warwood, Miller had back to back meetings back at central office discussing bus routes, school safety, and new school year employee open positions.
Miller took plenty of time to discuss each issue with her staff and look into every possible solution. Dr. Miller even took the time to ask me if I knew of any possible solutions as a student in the system. She is very collaborative and she cares more about the success of the county than her individual pride as the leader.
My favorite part of shadowing Dr. Miller was getting to see how much she truly cares about her job. I started the day feeling valued as a student reporter when we both brought each other a box of donuts, and as the day went on not only did we both get to know each other better, but I also get to see the amount of care she puts into her job. Along with that care, she truly takes joy from it.
Miller’s staff had nothing but glowing reviews of the superintendent and the work they collaborate on with her. Mrs. Susan Fox-Nolte, the Human Resource Director, works closely with Dr. Miller and the hundreds of employees throughout the county.
“She [Dr. Miller] is very involved with the Superintendents Association and… that helps us so it’s one of the things that she’s really talented with,” said Nolte. “She is really good at what she does and… what you see on social media and what you see on different things doesn’t even tell the half of it.”
Dr. Miller is a hardworking superintendent that invites every voice to the table to ensure that she is giving Ohio County Schools every advantage possible for the students.
