ADRIAN — Nate Parker is ready to make sure academic successes continue at Adrian Public Schools as he officially becomes the district’s new superintendent. 

The principal at Adrian’s Springbrook Middle School since 2010, Parker signed on the dotted line of his new contract with the Adrian Board of Education during a special meeting Monday. The moment marked the conclusion of a search process that began in late October and continued over the next three months with assistance from the Michigan Leadership Institute and MLI’s regional president for southeast Michigan, John Silveri.

Numerous applications were reviewed, candidates were contacted and interviewed, board workshops were held, members of the public were encouraged to get involved, and several other aspects of the process took place over a busy three months.

The contract between Parker and the board is for 3 1/2 years with an annual salary of $150,000 beginning March 1.  

Bob Behnke, Adrian’s current superintendent, will retire at the end of March. 

“As I said during some of my interviews, I’ve spent 12 years at Springbrook, and the teammates, the kids, the community, the parents, and our great teaching staff and central office staff are the best around,” Parker said. “I didn’t know if I actually wanted to be a school superintendent, but with Bob leaving, I saw this as a great opportunity for me to continue seeing us move in the right direction while we continue to build upon our successes as a district.”

Adrian board President Beth Ferguson said Parker will be personally funding a superintendent’s scholarship for two Adrian High School seniors each year at $500 each, and he plans to contribute at least $1,000 to community programs and organizations that benefit APS the Adrian school district and its students.

The board voted 6-0 during Monday’s special meeting to accept the contract. Trustee Jay Marks was absent.

“It feels good to have the process completed,” Parker said. “Now I’m going to have a solid month to work alongside Bob and learn all that I need to learn and meet all of the people I need to meet.”

There will be challenges ahead, Parker admitted, but he said he’s ready to meet those challenges as they come.

“I’ve been a building principal for 17 years. I think you just need to take it all in as it goes,” he said.

Making sure he is up to speed with district budgeting and all of the “inside details” of being a superintendent are some of Parker’s main goals during his first couple of weeks on the job. He will also need to lead the search process for not only his successor at Springbrook but also the soon-to-be principal vacancy at Adrian High School due to the retirement of Mike Perez.

Parker said it would be ideal if both building principal positions were filled and ready to go by July 1.

Ferguson said Parker has a “proven track record of being well-connected and able to attract talent at Springbrook.” She said she is looking forward to his recruiting and staffing of the two principal positions.

The board, she said, was intrigued with Parker’s ASPIRE initiative and his Maple Diploma Plus program, both of which he pitched to the board throughout the interviews.

ASPIRE — Adrian Schools’ Projects Inspire Resilience and Excellence — and the diploma program are both geared toward improving the coursework offered at Adrian schools and making sure students have the opportunity to not only graduate with an Adrian Public Schools diploma but also college-readiness certification or the ability to jump right into the workforce.

“Both of these initiatives will be developed and discussed to bring more understanding and help for all of our future Maples,” Ferguson said. “As Nate meets with board members, employees and community members, these will be exciting topics to explore.”

Behnke called Parker’s experience in the district “a major asset to him in his new role.”


“Nate has already hit the ground running with the transition process,” Behnke said. “We have been meeting to map out programs and to bring him up to speed on district initiatives that may be out of his view from his current position. He knows many aspects of the community and district and is quick to learn more.”

Behnke and Parker have worked together since Behnke’s arrival as superintendent in 2014.

“It has been a great opportunity to see Nate's leadership skills grow over the last eight years,” Behnke said. “He was always quick to understand and then implement the district goals and initiatives into his building leadership. Having that solid understanding of where we have been and the direction we have been going will be a huge asset to Nate as he plans his future for APS.”

Brad Heineman
The Daily Telegram