Williams ready to assume Superintendent position for South Vermillion

A familiar face will take over the superintendent position for South Vermillion Schools next month, as Micah Williams will assume the post.

Williams, who has served as the district's assistant superintendent the last few years, will replace David Chapman, who is retiring after serving as superintendent since 2008.

"I went to Indiana State, and going through elementary, middle and high school, I had teachers I was inspired by and wanted to be like. My area was math. I have always been intrigued by numbers and going through school, I thought about do I want to do teaching, accounting or the medical field. I decided to stick with my gut and went into mathematics teaching and got my first teaching job at South Vermillion in 2011," Williams told The Parke County Post. 

Despite leaving the district for six months to get his first administrator's job, Williams has stayed with the South Vermillion school district and has served in various capacities during his tenure. In 2015, he served as an administrator at South Vermillion Middle School and then became the district's Director of Finances and Facilities in 2022 before becoming assistant superintendent a year later. 

"For me being there personally, as a teacher, then administrator at the building level and now at the central office, I have coached tennis there and I really enjoy the fact I get to continue to lead a group where I planted my first teaching contract at," Williams said. 

Williams said there are several things that set South Vermillion apart from other districts.

"At South Vermillion, I think we have an excellent group of teachers and staff. It is easy to say in every district, but I truly do believe we do what's best for students every day, and that is making sacrifices whether it is a teacher going to store and purchasing things out of their own money or any of the things we think about when we get into education that we just do. We don't have a second thought about using our own money to get supplies or this student is in need of this and we make it happen," Williams said. 

Williams said his time in the classroom, especially the "structured routine" has helped prepare him for every step of his journey.

"I am a guy who has a structured routine and being in a classroom kind of helped that. I liked that you were in charge of your whole day, but as you continue to grow and coach in the community, you start to think you can have a bigger impact going to a whole school level. I started my internship at South Vermillion my first year for my master's and administrative degree and I saw things you deal with on the outside of the classroom. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to ensure the students and staff are safe, and once I saw that, I thought I want to do this. I learned a lot, got my master's in school administration and after four or five years, I got the itch to be a superintendent and started my educational specialist degree and finished that in 2019." Williams said.

 Williams said he expects a smooth transition, noting he has worked with Chapman for three years and the plan has been in place for him to succeed Chapman during that time. 

"I feel very confident and blessed to have been in this situation," Williams said.

And, he knows he is coming into a position that has some challenges, as well.

"Like every superintendent in the state, we can talk about funding, but I am not going to complain about it. We know it is an issue, but how can we move around that, what do we put into place and how are we planning in advance to make sure we are fiscally sound and offer the same programs to our students? That is my focus. The mission and vision of South Vermillion is to continue to bring students into the building as much as we can and educate them and provide them with the needs they have and still not miss a beat," Williams said.