(CENTREVILLE) - The St. Joseph County ISD has found their next Superintendent.
Monday night, the ISD Board of Education voted to hire Jim Berry to take over for Dr. Teresa Belote as Superintendent. Belote announced in November that she would be retiring June 30, 2026.
Berry is currently the Career and Technical Education Director for the ISD and has been with the ISD since 2022. Prior to that, he spent 22 years in teaching and administrative roles at St. Joseph High School.
Berry spoke with Swick Broadcasting and says applying for the ISD Superintendent's position wasn't something he was thinking about when Belote announced last Fall she was retiring. Following Belote's announcement, Berry says he was encouraged by colleagues and others at the ISD which made him think about applying. Berry says he spoke to his wife and applied, and was very happy to be part of the process.
Berry says being a part of the ISD was a positive for him during the interview process and in getting offered the Superintendent's position.
Berry says he will be working with Belote and the ISD staff to get up to speed before he officially assumes his new duties July 1, along with some other tasks on his agenda. Berry says he has a 90 day plan that will start in July, and some of that may start before then by getting to know the ISD Board better along with the local school boards.
Berry was one of three candidates to be interviewed for the Superintendent position. The other candidates were Spencer Byrd, the Cheboygan Area Schools Superintendent, and Pamela Campbell, a math teacher at Covenant Christian School in Mishawaka, Indiana.