Published: June 20, 2008 10:48 pm      

New Ferndale superintendent begins duties

Carole Kakabar is returning to the place where her career in school administration began.

More than a decade after serving as an assistant principal and athletic director at Ferndale Area School District, Kakabar started work this week as the district’s superintendent.

“It’s nice, because I’m already familiar with the district,” she said.

Ferndale Area covers Brownstown, Dale, Ferndale and Lorain boroughs as well as Middle Taylor Township.

Kakabar replaces Christine Oldham, who was Ferndale’s superintendent for five years before she was hired in March as Ligonier Valley School District’s top administrator.

In addition to the year Kakabar spent at Ferndale, she also has served as Blacklick Valley High School principal and most recently was Westmont Hilltop Middle School principal.

Barbara Penna, Ferndale school board vice president, said Kakabar’s experience was a key factor in her hiring.

“She has a lot of experience with a lot of different things – with curriculum, with sports,” Penna said. “She impressed us as someone who could be a real team leader as well as a team player.”

Penna added that Kakabar “really made an impact” during her 1997 stint in the district.

The Ferndale board, on an 8-0 vote with one member absent, gave Kakabar a five-year contract running through June 15, 2013. Her salary was set at $100,000 with 3-percent annual increases, school records show.

Kakabar said her first priority is finding a new Ferndale elementary principal.

And she is looking forward to meeting more residents.

“It’s a nice community,” Kakabar said. “They’re very proud, and they’re very welcoming.”

That same sentiment applied to Oldham’s sendoff. At graduation ceremonies earlier this month, students presented the outgoing superintendent with a personalized potted plant.

“On every branch was a personal note from each student, talking about how she impacted their lives,” Penna said.